Supporting Single Parents at the Bar

By Brandi Amiss-Towler.

Reading time: four minutes  

Single parents

Supporting single parents at the Bar is crucial to attracting, training and retaining a diverse pool of talent. Notwithstanding the importance of representation to the rule of law, a diverse Bar acknowledges that clients come from a range of backgrounds and value relatable advocates. Single parents, often overlooked in discussions of diversity, bring a unique set of experiences and skills that are invaluable to the Bar.

Issue

Current trends indicate successful pupillage applicants are over 30 and increasingly female. However, it should also be noted that there has been an increase in women at the Bar with caring responsibilities who have reported discrimination. It may be assumed that those with caring responsibilities are difficult to accommodate or have not prioritised their career.

Moreover, there has also been a reduction in successful applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds and single parents are more likely to come from this underrepresented group. The financial burden of expensive Bar Course fees and high childcare fees are a barrier to anyone with caring responsibilities who is considering a career at the Bar, yet they are likely to have valuable work experience and skills. Addressing the barriers to the recruitment and retention of those with caring responsibilities will improve diversity.

Read this article to find out what the Pupillage Gateway Report said about diversity and inclusion: https://thestudentlawyer.com/2024/03/11/what-does-the-pupillage-gateway-report-2024-say-for-diversity-and-inclusion/

The traditional pupillage structure may present another barrier for single parents. Flexible and part-time pupillage offers remain rare, despite the increasing recognition of the need for alternative arrangements. The Bar Standards Board (BSB) states that it supports part-time pupillages and supports flexible working, but the rules in the BSB handbook may not be congruent with part-time or flexible pupillages.

A few chambers suggest that they are willing to offer part-time or flexible pupillages but it could be made clearer that a request of this nature would not disadvantage an applicant. Pupillage is a highly competitive process and applicants are unlikely to discuss circumstances that they think may put them at a disadvantage to other applicants. The BSB could play a more proactive role in providing clearer guidance for flexible and part-time pupillages to improve accessibility to applicants with caring responsibilities.

Benefits

Single parents bring a wealth of experience and skills to the Bar such as effective communication skills, resilience and organisation skills. Balancing the demands of coursework, practical training and childcare requires commitment, time management and exceptional organisation skills. Outings rarely go to plan, prompting parents to hone their resilience and problem solving skills to overcome setbacks. For example, wandering around Portugal armed with Google Translate to find a chemist who will provide you with a similar medication for your child to the one that spilled during the flight, demonstrates perseverance. Lastly, many hours are spent persuading someone to do something they don’t really want to do.

Solution

The opportunity to be self-employed is partly what draws applicants to the Bar. Self-employment offers a degree of flexibility and the ability to create some work/life balance in contrast to a law firm where schedules are more rigid. The Inns offer scholarships which cover part or all of the Bar Course fees. Lincoln’s Inn offers a mini-pupillage grant for those from underrepresented groups to cover travel expenses and purchasing court appropriate clothes. Perhaps an additional fund could be offered to help mitigate the additional childcare-related costs of attending Qualifying Sessions as these are a requirement for Call to the Bar, or a fund to assist pupils/new tenants with childcare-related costs.

Read this personal review of the Helen Grindrod Social Mobility Prize hosted by Lincolns Inn: https://thestudentlawyer.com/2024/03/11/the-helen-grindrod-social-mobility-prize-in-review/

Clearer guidelines from the BSB on part-time/flexible pupillages may have a positive effect on the number of chambers willing to offer this type of training. Flexible working options will enable applicants to get the most out of pupillage and learn the information required to meet their competency requirements. Additional training for members of the Bar and clerking teams can ensure pupils and junior tenants aren’t negatively impacted by their need to flexible/part-time work.

Comprehensive solutions are needed to support single parents at the Bar. Financial support for education and childcare, flexible pupillage structures, and greater awareness and training for legal professionals are essential components of this effort. By addressing the difficulties experienced by single parent applicants and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, the Bar will be continuing its work of attracting strong applicants from a range of backgrounds to build a diverse, supportive environment for pupils and barristers. This will improve representation and access to justice for the public.

To find out about women’s progress at the Bar, read this article: https://thestudentlawyer.com/2024/03/24/the-bar-is-not-a-mans-world/

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating better support for single parents and applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds is imperative to a more diverse and inclusive legal profession. By removing barriers, recognising the value of single parents’ experiences, and implementing supportive policies, the Bar can harness the talent of the best and brightest legal minds. This will improve chambers’ ability to meet the needs of their clients as well as improve fairness and confidence in the legal system, by society.

Moreover, retaining talented members of the Bar by ensuring they have the support they need to build and maintain a successful practice is key to the BSB’s equality and diversity plan aimed at retaining women and building a more diverse judiciary.