4 King's Bench Walk

To apply, please send your updated CV, 2 reference letters and a cover letter explaining your interests in the Bar and 4KBW, giving an indication of the dates when you will be available for the next 6 months. Please note that this is an unpaid internship, intended to gain experience in the professional work field.

Interning at 4 King’s Bench Walk this past summer was an enriching experience. I was able to apply the skills and knowledge I had learned through my courses at my home university to almost all aspects of my position. It was great to see my coursework come alive. I will admit that on my first day of the internship I was overcome with a variety of emotions, I didn’t know what I would be doing or what to expect. But within the matter of hours I felt at home, everyone welcomed me with open arms and I immediately began to learn about English Law.

4 King’s Bench Walk isn’t like any other law firm or chambers I’ve ever come to know. The atmosphere within the chambers itself is organized yet relaxing, and remarkably friendly. No one person is given specific daily tasks to complete, everyone pitches in order to maintain a smoothly run office. During my time at 4KBW, I was given a variety of tasks to complete from creating web pages to taking notes. While completing these tasks I was able to work with almost all of the members of the chambers including the barristers, clerks and even the Head of Chambers. Each member of chambers possessed an abundance of skills and knowledge of which they instilled upon me during my time there. Their enthusiasm for their careers and passion for law was infectious and inspired me to want to take my career further. I will forever be grateful for the experience my internship afforded. The welcomed knowledge my new life long friends and colleagues shared will forever stay with me.

Internship experience: Nicola Dalais

After completing the BVC I was called to the Bar in July 2010. Having not secured pupillage I was in that all too familiar position experienced by the majority of those finishing the BVC. With that said, I wanted to gain some experience that would enable me to demonstrate the skills I had learnt, skills that would be most relevant to pupillage.

That is what 4 King’s Bench Walk offers. It is one of the few sets offering a formal internship that goes far beyond mini-pupillage. You are given real work, real responsibility, and numerous opportunities to get involved in all aspects of chamber’s work and life.

My three months at 4 King’s Bench Walk were busy and challenging. The longer I stayed the more complex the work became. I conducted legal research, drafted pleadings and advices, and prepared trial bundles. I relished the opportunity to work on ‘real’ cases as my first taste of life at the Bar.  I particularly enjoyed the exposure to the commercial and corporate side of practice, being areas I had no previous experience of. I also worked with the clerks occasionally, which enabled me to see how chambers are run from day to day. It was during my time in the clerk’s room that I came to understand the importance of organisation within chambers and of marketing.

However, it was not all work. 4 King’s Bench Walk is a professional, tight-knit, but, welcoming set. As such, the tenants and pupils were always happy to offer assistance with any work I had or to simply offer advice. I also attended court with counsel, a highlight of which included preparing bundles for, and attending a two day hearing in the High Court in an application to discharge a Freezing Injunction.
Whether you are a law graduate considering a career at the Bar, or have already completed the BVC, I would recommend this internship. It was an invaluable experience.

I have a Masters and Bachelors’ Degree in Law from Russia and currently work as a Senior Legal Advisor. I have six years PQE advising on tax law, corporate law, civil law and labour law (Russian Federation) matters both contentious and non-contentious.

I sought an internship at 4KBW because I wanted to learn what English barristers do. In particular: preparing a hearing, the relationship between a barrister and their clients, learning about cases and observing hearings and particularly, to learn more about English civil law, labour law and commercial law. I would like to learn what a barrister’s usual working day is like.

The most interesting thing I have seen so far is attend the High Court on an intellectual property matter, involving a claim for database rights infringement and patents. My internship has taught me that a barrister is a top legal career, which I would like to aim for. I think that 4KBW is a very friendly place with sensitive people. Atmosphere of 4KBW is hard-working and familial.