Career Clinic: Would starting my Bar career in the regions be a bad move?

Provinces

As long as you refer to the regions rather than the provinces.....

Steve, Bristol -10 May 2010 | 17:40

Can't really comment on Cardiff but I have worked on commercial litigation in Leeds as well as the City. We would always use London counsel for anything meaty, Manchester for crap low value stuff, and Leeds... er, never.

The difference in quality of work when I came to London was surprising - I thought we did good stuff up North, but now realise how limited it was.

So I'd say bad move on the CV front.

Far worse, you will be building up a nice circle of instructing solicitors in Wales who will stop instructing you if and when you relocate to London, leaving you in some difficulties.

Bear in the Woods -10 May 2010 | 19:14

Bar

Do you mean going back to Cardiff to take the Bar Course or to practise? Re the Bar Course, you should probably look at pass/fail rates for each of the providers before deciding where to apply. As for practice, to do that you'll need to get pupillage first and there is huge competition for pupillages - so your location may well be decided by wherever you manage to get pupillage.

Fiona -10 May 2010 | 23:15

London First

As someone who started at the provincial bar doing a mixed common law practice and then decided that, despite the advantages of living in a City I loved, the quality of work wasn't nearly satisfying enough and so a move to London was the only option, my advice is to try London first (if you can get a tenancy in Chambers!) and then, if you decide London really isn't for you, or you meet a nice "girl from the Valleys" and want to settle down, it should be reasonably easy to make a move out of London (although the transition still won't be easy). Going into London after a few years outside will be much much harder.

Tall_Barrister -19 May 2010 | 02:36