But while the problem is widespread, some chambers are beginning to approach recruitment with fresh eyes and finding that talent may lie just beyond the usual boundaries.
4 Pump Court, a leading commercial set, has embraced this forward-thinking approach by appointing Practice Managers and Assistant Practice Managers from non-traditional backgrounds.
By looking beyond the chambers-to-chambers talent loop, they’ve brought in professionals from law firms and other industries who offer a fresh perspective, commercial awareness, and operational excellence.
1. What prompted you to look beyond traditional chambers recruitment when hiring your latest recruits?
We’ve always been progressive and have recruited in an alternative way before e.g. from the shipping/insurance space. We’re unapologetic about quality across the business and always interested in the best people; looking beyond the norm offers more choice that can work sometimes, balanced against experience in our niche space. We’re also concerned to have a degree of diversity in different ways: there has been a lack of mid or senior women in clerking, and by recruiting impressive female candidates at PM / APM level, we’ve created a really valuable balance in the team, supporting industry progress.
2. How did you assess the potential for someone without prior chambers experience to succeed in the role?
There are some obvious essential attributes required in clerking. Beyond these, the quality of the candidate is key: for example, increasingly our clerks are graduates. Wider industry experience has also been successfully relevant for us e.g. working in solicitor disputes teams, providing valuable client insight. Maintaining the right culture is also a central consideration – it’s a team effort and selecting people that will work well together in our environment is important to us.
3. What skills or attributes stood out in your non-traditional candidates?
Client-side experience, industry insight and fresh eyes.
4. What impact have these hires had on the chamber's operations or culture?
Different people see different opportunities and solutions, which is valuable. An alternative approach to dealing with issues can be innovative. Aside from being generally healthy, a diverse team also challenges any unconscious bias.
5. Would you recommend this approach to other chambers struggling to recruit?
Absolutely, as part of the mix. We’re a long way beyond historic nepotism, but recruiting from a wider pool is good for the existing community and advertising the profession more broadly. It’s also an opportunity for the more sophisticated recruiters to keep adding well-received value.
6. Were there any unexpected benefits or challenges in onboarding someone from outside the Bar?
Chambers is a unique environment that people don’t appreciate until inside. Onboarding people from outside the bar takes more time but can be a worthwhile investment with the right candidates, bringing different perspectives and experience to the business.
1. What attracted you to working in chambers, coming from a different professional background?
I realised that I no longer wanted to pursue a career as a fee earner, but I was keen to remain within the legal profession. Having instructed counsel for my own cases, I had built relationships with clerks and gained some insight into life in chambers. I was looking for a role that offered more client interaction and a stronger focus on business development. Clerking seemed to provide the ideal combination, and now, after three years in the role, I can confidently say it was the right decision.
2. How have your previous roles helped you adapt to the unique environment of the Bar?
Working in chambers is undoubtedly a unique experience but my background has equipped me with a range of transferable skills. I’m used to working in a fast-paced environment, managing client expectations, and meeting tight deadlines — all of which are integral to the role of a clerk.
3. Were there any surprising challenges or differences compared to your previous sector?
I’d say that the biggest difference lies in the structure and culture. Chambers has a close-knit environment with a strong sense of autonomy and entrepreneurial spirit, in comparison to the more corporate atmosphere of a law firm.
4. What do you feel you’ve brought to the role that may be different from a traditional chambers hire as a Junior Clerk?
In my previous role, I was responsible for preparing cases from start to finish — gathering evidence, liaising with clients, drafting key documents, and ensuring matters were trial-ready. This hands-on experience has given me a strong understanding of both the solicitor’s perspective when instructing counsel and the needs and expectations barristers have of solicitors.
The market for Practice Managers may be shrinking in its traditional form, but that doesn’t mean the talent isn’t out there. It is, it’s just waiting to be discovered in new places. Now more than ever, barristers’ chambers must be bold, innovative, and forward-thinking in their recruitment strategies.
By embracing candidates from beyond the traditional chambers ecosystem, you’re not just filling a vacancy – you’re bringing in the kind of thinking and experience that can future-proof your chambers for years to come.
At Briefed, following our recent merger with DMJ, we now have access to one of the largest databases of talent in the UK legal and professional services sector. This gives us a decisive advantage in matching chambers with dynamic professionals who can bring new energy and commercial thinking into traditional environments.
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