In this episode Yasmin Ali interviews Brick Court’s Zahra Al-Rikabi. Their conversation focuses on Zahra’s advice for navigating the early years of practice and becoming a barrister alongside being a new mother. Amongst other things, they discuss: - The transition from pupillage to practice (‘Leaning in to discomfort’) - The value of mentors and the available support structures - Zahra’s experience as a Muslim woman thriving at the bar Zahra Al-Rikabi came to England from Syria at age 9, and learned English as second language. She went on to study jurisprudence at Oxford and obtained an LLM from the LSE. After working at the Law Commission and as a judicial assistant in the Court of Appeal, Zahra became a member of Chambers in 2013. Zahra is described in Legal 500 as “fiercely intelligent” and “an excellent junior in the ascendancy”. Yasmin Ali is a law and politics graduate from Queen Mary University of London where she was supported as an IntoUniversity Student Associate. She currently works on communications and advocacy at Salusbury World, a charity whose mission is to support and empower refugee and migrant children and families.

As part of the celebration of Brick Court’s centenary in 2021, we have partnered with the Sutton Trust and IntoUniversity, two charities committed to improving access for under-represented groups in both higher education and in the workplace. As well as raising money for them, Chambers has developed a work experience programme for students from both charities, provided speakers for various events organised by both charities and hosted a high-profile panel debate on social mobility. As part of that partnership with the Sutton Trust and IntoUniversity, we are proud to present a series of podcasts aimed at helping aspiring lawyers from all backgrounds. In the programmes, various members of members of Chambers are interviewed by students who are being or have been supported by the charities while in education. The interviewers asked junior barristers about their own experiences and the obstacles they overcame in coming to the bar, and about the different stages in the lifecycle of an applicant barrister, from applying to university, through application for and the experience of pupillage to the early years of practice. In this episode Oscar Yong interviews Brick Court’s Sarah Bousfield. Their broad conversation covers Sarah’s path to the Bar and her advice on applying for pupillage. Amongst other things, they discuss: - What Sarah wishes she knew when she was a student & aspiring barrister - Mistakes people make when applying for pupillage - Diversity and inclusion (are barristers all ‘pale, male and stale’?) Sarah Bousfield grew up in Lincolnshire where she attended a state grammar school before going on to study law at Durham University and then completed her master’s degree (BCL) at Oxford University. After being called to the Bar in 2013, Sarah undertook pupillage at 39 Essex Chambers where she practiced for six years before moving to Brick Court in 2020. She is described in Legal 500 as “an exceptional barrister, who is hard-working, enthusiastic and passionate.” Oscar Yong grew up in London before going on to study criminology at Durham University – St Aidan’s College, where he is currently in his second year and is supported as an IntoUniversity Student Associate.

As part of the celebration of Brick Court’s centenary in 2021, we have partnered with the Sutton Trust and IntoUniversity, two charities committed to improving access for under-represented groups in both higher education and in the workplace. As well as raising money for them, Chambers has developed a work experience programme for students from both charities, provided speakers for various events organised by both charities and hosted a high-profile panel debate on social mobility. As part of that partnership with the Sutton Trust and IntoUniversity, we are proud to present a series of podcasts aimed at helping aspiring lawyers from all backgrounds. In the programmes, various members of members of Chambers are interviewed by students who are being or have been supported by the charities while in education. The interviewers asked junior barristers about their own experiences and the obstacles they overcame in coming to the bar, and about the different stages in the lifecycle of an applicant barrister, from applying to university, through application for and the experience of pupillage to the early years of practice. Episode 1: Richard Blakeley and Josiah Senu: into and at university In this first episode, Josiah Senu interviews Brick Court’s Richard Blakeley. Their discussion focuses on the early stages of planning to be a Barrister and in particular life at university. Amongst other things, they discuss: - What subjects to study and if this matters (spoiler alert: it doesn’t) - Maximising the value of work experience - Selling yourself as a candidate - Diversity at the Bar and ‘scrolling through white faces’ on websites Richard Blakeley grew up in Rotherham where he attended a state comprehensive school before going on to study law at Cambridge University and Harvard Law School. He has been a member of Chambers since 2008 and is described in Legal 500 as “one of the smartest Commercial Juniors and a shoo-in to any litigation team heading into battle – delightful company and a mega star for the future”. Josiah Senu is a Sutton Trust alumnus who studied law at LSE before going on to post-graduate degrees at Harvard and Oxford. He is a member of the Sutton Trust Alumni Board, was a panellist at our social mobility discussion event and will be commencing pupillage at a leading set of Chambers in 2022.