STAR PUPIL

By Stefano Iacono - News Reporter

TWO STUDENTS have set up an online monthly publication aimed at students looking for a career as barristers.

The Pupil has enjoyed immense success since its release in October. Reader numbers have increased, with downloads coming from all over the world, including the Middle East, Australia and the Americas.

Charlotte Wheeler-Smith, final year law student at Swansea University, and Tom Sykes, a Swansea law graduate, came up with the idea for The Pupil in June whilst having a few drinks in London. Realising that all the guides on becoming a barrister were very academic in nature, they came up with an idea to produce a monthly online magazine that was practical and accessible to all and, as Charlotte put it, “made the Bar seem less like a secret society.”

Explaining the rationale behind the magazine, Charlotte said “with the current economic crisis and public funding being at an all-time low, pupillages are harder to get than ever, and we wanted to help people in their search for that, at times seemingly elusive, career as a barrister.”

The magazine started strongly in October with over 20,000 readers in the first day alone and its readership has continued to grow. The most recent issue was a similar success; Tom Sykes told The Waterfront that the November issue of The Pupil is “currently being read in the United Kingdom, Lebanon, Jordan, Cyprus, The Netherlands, Iraq, Australia, Canada, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, The USA, Greece and France.”

The future seems equally bright with the magazine scooping an exclusive interview with the second biggest chambers in the UK for the next issue which is due for release in mid-December; planning a barrister fair in London and co-hosting a mock trial with the Swansea University Bar Society on the 15th of December which all Swansea students are welcome to attend.

For more information and to download your free copy of The Pupil visit www.the-pupil.co.uk.

Anyone interested in attending the mock trial please email to reserve your place as places are limited.