So here we go I guess, quick introduction first seems right. I'm Jack, the new President of the Law Society, to find out more about me, click the "meet the committee" tab at the top of the page! In January, after sending about 40 letters to various barrister's chambers, I received an email from 1 Pump Court Chambers in London offering me a 1 week mini-pupillage in June.

It is now June, and here I am! Believe me, even though I am really nervous, the hard bit is done. Once you have a mini-pupillage, the rest is much easier, but getting them can be really difficult, but more about that later. A mini-pupillage is essentially, following a barrister around for a week. Good times yes? Sadly, it's not quite that simple. The first thing you need to know about mini-pupillage, or barristers in general infact is that they appear to be VERY unorganised. Due to the nature of their work in court, they often don't find out where they are and what they are doing until the night before, which obviously makes following them difficult.

The email I had offering me an m-p, asked me to ring chambers at 5.30pm, the Friday before my week was due to begin so that arrangements for the first day could be confirmed. The way an m-p normally works is that you phone chambers every evening at 5.30pm to find out where you are going to be the next day. This is fine if you live close to London, where most of the action happens, but if you are like me and live a bit further out, it can be more difficult! I live in Romsey, just outside Southampton, so it's a good hour and a half on the train to get to London. Ugh. Early starts coming I think!

So I made the phonecall, and after getting over my initial paranoia that the person on the other end of the phone would have no records of me at all, established that I want to follow the criminal defence group. I feel rather like some kind of secret agent now, I have my instructions. I am to turn up at the City of Westminster Magistrates Court (which I still have no idea where it is!) at 10am on Monday, to meet someone I have never met! Smashing!