How to become a Barrister?
What is a barrister?
Barristers are independent, specialist advocates who are trained to appear in a courtroom, in commissions of inquiry and in alternative forms of dispute resolution. Barristers may also provide objective advice on particular legal problems for clients, solicitors, businesses and governments. Barristers act as mediators and arbitrators as well as conducting other dispute resolution processes.
How do I become a barrister?
- You need a law degree or juris doctor qualification from university
- You need to complete practical legal training and then be admitted to 'practise' as a lawyer. This means that you are a qualified legal practitioner and you can choose to work as either a barrister or a solicitor.
- To become a barrister, you then need to spend 9 months in training, called 'reading'
- For part of the reading period, you will enrol in the training course for barristers (called 'Bar Readers' Course'). If you pass, you are entitled to work as a barrister (your name and signature will appear on the 'Roll of Counsel' of the Victorian Bar, which means you are a barrister). Then you can accept briefs!
- For the remainder of the reading period you can work on your own, but you will have another barrister who will help you learn about the job and shares his or her chambers with you until you are ready to go out on your own.
https://www.vu.edu.au/courses/bachelor-of-laws-blaw
https://www.open.edu.au/advice/careers/law-justice/barrister
https://www.swinburne.edu.au/courses/find-a-course/law/how-to-become-a-lawyer/
https://www.deakin.edu.au/course/bachelor-laws
https://www.monash.edu/study/courses/find-a-course/laws-l3001