“I am a Barrister working in HMRC’s European and International Trade Legal Advisory team. My work splits into three areas drafting treaty text for and attending international negotiations, advising colleagues and ministers on the international law implications of their policy ideas and advising operational colleagues on international legal issues that arise during their investigations.
I joined HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) straight out of university. I read law at undergraduate level and EU and international law at master’s level. Government had always fascinated me. The chance to work not just on the interpretation, but also the making of law was an attractive prospect. When I learned that government lawyers were some of the few UK lawyers who still looked at EU law daily, I was sold!
Pupillage in government is a bit different. You do your normal year of pupillage, but then have another year of rotations before you stay in a team on a longer-term basis. I spent my first six months doing business and property taxes litigation. When the public think about what HMRC lawyers do (which I admit must happen rarely), this is probably what they think of. I assisted on lots of high value cases against some of the biggest household names. Protecting hundreds of millions of pounds that will be used for public services is really tangible and rewarding work.
All GLP pupils then go on secondment to Chambers for their second seat. I went to Foundry Chambers for mine. Criminal law could not have been more different to my first six. I was in court daily, attended conferences with defendants and victims and learnt lots about the practical functioning of the criminal justice system. My Chambers supervisor was fantastic. He taught me lots about advocacy that I apply every time I go to court.
I then did two final rotations. The first was in customs and excise advisory and the second was in my current team. Since Brexit, the customs and excise team has gone from a handful of lawyers advising on EU customs law to the biggest advisory legal team in HMRC. The work is an interesting mix of Windsor framework related issues and interpreting our almost entirely new GB customs framework without a practitioners’ text or much case law. The work is first principles based and pacey.
The GLP is not a traditional Bar career. Advocacy is relatively rare. You are not instructed by Solicitors. You have a single client. You will however do work that exists almost nowhere else. You will draft legislation and treaties, advise ministers and consider vital constitutional issues that may never be litigated.
Pupillage was a fantastic experience. The variety and national importance of the work is really exciting. The training you are given is provided by people at the forefront of the area of law you are working on and you are encouraged to read around and get the broadest possible perspective. My work now in the European and International team combines the best bits of the Bar with the best bits of my European and international law background. I recommend the GLP and HMRC to anyone interested in a slightly different career at the Bar.”
