Q10: The BVC (again)
What do you and members of your chambers really think about the BVC in terms of training and preparing pupils?
posted by tor at 10:09 AM
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Ask a Pupil is a blog run by a number of current pupils. Its aim is to provide a range of views on questions asked by people hoping to become barristers.
We don't post any questions on the site that might lead to comments being made about individuals or particular institutions.
We should also point out that these are just our opinions - we can't guarantee that they are right!
2 Comments:
I've never heard anyone say that they have any interest in where you did the BVC. Most people did it at ICSL because that used to be the only provider, but that doesn't mean they think it is the best place to go.
As far as preparing you for pupillage, I wasn't impressed. The most useful preparation I had was doing advocacy training and mooting with my Inn. One or two of the BVC teachers I had were good in particular areas, but the quality of teaching varies so much within institutions that it's difficult to say that one provider will definitely be better than another. You don't have any choice about which tutors you get - you could get all the good ones and have a useful year, or all the bad ones and not learn anything helpful.
Most barristers I've encountered in pupillage think that the BVC doesn't prepare you well at all - they expect to have to train you themselves.
I found my BVC to be extremely useful - especially the core subjects: advocacy (crim and civil), conferencing etc.
It is not entirely useless. But it is expensive. And this is the main problem.
It is not worth the dosh.
Great Blog by the way. This is very much needed.
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