As part of the celebration of Brick Court’s centenary in 2021, we have partnered with the Sutton Trust and IntoUniversity, two charities committed to improving access for under-represented groups in both higher education and in the workplace. As well as raising money for them, Chambers has developed a work experience programme for students from both charities, provided speakers for various events organised by both charities and hosted a high-profile panel debate on social mobility.

As part of that partnership with the Sutton Trust and IntoUniversity, we are proud to present a series of podcasts aimed at helping aspiring lawyers from all backgrounds.

In the programmes, various members of members of Chambers are interviewed by students who are being or have been supported by the charities while in education. The interviewers asked junior barristers about their own experiences and the obstacles they overcame in coming to the bar, and about the different stages in the lifecycle of an applicant barrister, from applying to university, through application for and the experience of pupillage to the early years of practice.

Episode 1: Richard Blakeley and Josiah Senu: into and at university

In this first episode, Josiah Senu interviews Brick Court’s Richard Blakeley. Their discussion focuses on the early stages of planning to be a Barrister and in particular life at university.

Amongst other things, they discuss:

- What subjects to study and if this matters (spoiler alert: it doesn’t)

- Maximising the value of work experience

- Selling yourself as a candidate

- Diversity at the Bar and ‘scrolling through white faces’ on websites

Richard Blakeley grew up in Rotherham where he attended a state comprehensive school before going on to study law at Cambridge University and Harvard Law School. He has been a member of Chambers since 2008 and is described in Legal 500 as “one of the smartest Commercial Juniors and a shoo-in to any litigation team heading into battle – delightful company and a mega star for the future”.

Josiah Senu is a Sutton Trust alumnus who studied law at LSE before going on to post-graduate degrees at Harvard and Oxford. He is a member of the Sutton Trust Alumni Board, was a panellist at our social mobility discussion event and will be commencing pupillage at a leading set of Chambers in 2022.