The post is a one-year, full-time job at Brick Court Chambers from September 2026 – July
2027.
You will be assisting a barrister with a broad practice across the fields of public
international law, international arbitration, commercial litigation, competition, and sanctions.
The role involves working closely with the barrister (and their colleagues, including KCs,
solicitors, government officials, and lay clients) on live and high-profile cases in the above
practice areas. Your responsibilities will include attending court, legal research, strategic
thinking, case management, as well as clerical assistance and diary management.
Previous assistants have worked on high-value commercial trials; international arbitrations,
including investment treaty cases before ICSID; appeals to the Supreme Court and Privy
Council; preliminary references to the CJEU; high-profile judicial reviews; and international
law cases in various fora, including the International Court of Justice, European Court of
Humans Rights, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and domestic courts all around the
world. There may also be opportunity for travel abroad, depending on caseload, which will be
all-expenses paid.
The role is ideal for anyone interested in pursuing a career at the Bar. Previous assistants have
gone onto do pupillage (and take tenancy) at top sets including Blackstone Chambers, Essex
Court, 3VB, 39 Essex, and No.5 Chambers. Others have gone onto further study (including the
LLM), to work at NGOs, and becoming practising solicitors.
The successful applicant should meet the following criteria:
1. Educational qualifications: Law degree (or equivalent such as GDL), preferably with
1st Class or Distinction, unless there are extenuating circumstances. If your law degree
was obtained outside the UK, please briefly explain how you are familiar with the core
tenets of English law. E.g you have obtained your undergraduate law degree from a
common law jurisdiction however possess some knowledge of English law.
2. Legal aptitude: Demonstrated legal aptitude in at least one of commercial law,
international arbitration, public international law, competition law, or sanctions. You
can demonstrate this either by pointing to professional experiences, academic
achievements, or other relevant evidence. The successful candidate will be required to
work on cases in all five areas of practice;
3. Legal research: Experience of research on legal databases (e.g Westlaw, Lexis, Jus
Mundi, CURIA);
4. Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
5. The ability to work with others in a team and work to tight deadlines;
6. Honesty and integrity, as well as discretion in the handling of information.
Salary: £36,470 per annum
Deadline for applying: Friday 12th June 2026 at 5pm.
How to apply: Please send your application to ali.al-karim@brickcourt.co.uk and cc in:
rose.barkle@brickcourt.co.uk . The subject line must be ‘Application – Barrister’s Assistant –
[NAME]’. Your application should include the following:
1. CV (no more than 3 pages): Please include all relevant professional and academic
experience. In particular, set out the details of your undergraduate and postgraduate
education, indicating (i) a breakdown of your marks in each paper, (ii) your overall rank
in your cohort for each degree, and (iii) any extenuating circumstances that you would
like to disclose in order to contextualise your marks.
2. Covering note: In no more than 350 words, please explain why you consider that you
meet the criteria for the post outlined above. You may draw on previous professional,
academic, or other experiences of relevance.