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Government Legal Department: Barristers

Asked by Dr Neil Shastri-HurstConservativeAttorney GeneralTabled Answered 26 March 2026UIN 123078

The question

To ask the Solicitor General, how many pupil barristers who undertook pupillage with the Government Legal Department left upon completion in each of the past five years.

Answered by Ellie Reeves

The Government Legal Department’s (GLD) Legal Trainee Scheme lasts for two years in total. Those who join the GLD as pupil barristers qualify as barristers at the end of Year 1 of the Training Scheme (the pupillage period). They then remain on the Training Scheme for a further 12 months, during which they gain wider experience of GLD’s legal work.

The number of pupil barristers who left upon completion of the two‑year Training Scheme in each of the past five years is as follows:

  • Out of the 5 pupil barristers that completed the scheme, 3 pupil barristers left upon completion in 2021.
  • Out of the 5 pupil barristers that completed the scheme, no pupil barristers left upon completion in 2022.
  • Out of the 5 pupil barristers that completed the scheme, 1 pupil barrister left upon completion in 2023.
  • Out of the 3 pupil barristers that completed the scheme, 2 pupil barristers left upon completion in 2024.
  • Out of the 3 pupil barristers that completed the scheme, 1 pupil barrister left upon completion in 2025.

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