New Tenant
a personal profile
Audrey Archer

Pupillage at One Paper Buildings was a great learning experience. I spent my first 6 months on the Western Circuit following my pupil supervisor, Matthew Jewell. This time was therefore spent with Matthew in the Crown Court at Winchester, Southampton, Bournemouth and Portsmouth. I was very fortunate to have a pupil supervisor with a busy practice which meant that at the conclusion of one Crown Court trial another began. I observed lengthy trials that went on for weeks, as well as shorter 4/5 day trials that dealt with less complex areas and issues. In addition, I was fortunate enough to have attended the Court of Appeal on numerous occasions. I was also given the opportunity to attend hearings with other tenants in chambers involved in high profile or precedent setting cases, for example: The Morton Trial at the Old Bailey, and the House of Lords case of R v Cheong (2006) AER (D) 385.

During pupillage I would be asked to carry out various tasks for my pupil supervisor. These included simple exercises, such as compiling chronologies in a large cases. More complex exercises included advices, defence statements and skeleton arguments. Once completed my pupil supervisor would go through my work with me, and highlight areas that needed improvement, as well as encourage me where I had completed a piece of work well. I was required to work for other members of chambers all of whom provided me with assistance and encouragement whilst helping me to improve my style and quality of work.

Advocacy exercises were conducted within Chambers on a Wednesday night fortnightly. Such exercises included bail applications, plea in mitigation, examination in chief, cross examination of witnesses, and opening and closing speeches. One Paper Buildings views such exercises as a vital and necessary part of their pupillage programme. Such exercises proved to be invaluable, and thoroughly prepared me for the first stages on my feet during my second sixth months of pupillage.  

The second sixth months of pupillage was, in my opinion, the most exciting part. The writing and advocacy skills one develops in the previous sixth months all suddenly come into 'play'. I started my second sixth months undertaking first appearances, sentences, preliminary and plea and case management hearings. After approximately a month I was instructed to appear in trials in the magistrates’ court. Thereafter, my practice was primarily back to back trials in the magistrates’ court, and brief appearances in the Crown Court such as sentences and bail applications. I was frequently instructed to appear on both the South Eastern and the Western Circuits.

At the end of my pupillage I was offered tenancy which I readily accepted. At that stage I discussed with the senior clerk the circuit upon which I would like to develop my practice, and the type of work I aimed to do. One need only look at the practices of our junior tenants to know that it is not long before you are instructed on more serious and complex cases, instructed as junior counsel in cases where you are led, and Crown Court trials begin to fill your diary.

Audrey Archer

Tenant in 2005

back to top