In this episode of Law Talks, Ellie is joined by Esther Jopling, a current Bar student at City Law School and UCL first-class law graduate, who received a Middle Temple Bar Course Scholarship. They discuss how applicants first hear about Inn scholarships, choosing an Inn based on application and interview format (including Middle Temple’s lack of a paper sift), and how to approach the written application by reviewing questions early and identifying gaps. Esther shares how she drew on volunteering and work experience, advises mapping evidence to the criteria (academics, motivation for the Bar, advocacy, and personal attributes), and suggests alternatives when mooting or mini-pupillages are hard to obtain. They also cover interview preparation through networking, question lists, legal news awareness, mock interviews, and what the 15-minute panel interview is like, including a current legal knowledge question.
00:00 Episode Introduction
00:54 Sponsor Message
01:31 Esther Background
02:55 Why Family Law
03:44 Finding Scholarships
06:04 Written Application Tips
07:26 Experience To Highlight
12:02 Interview Preparation
17:22 Interview Day Breakdown
21:43 What Helped Most
24:43 Final Takeaways
26:18 Closing Thanks
This episode is sponsored by LawPods, a podcast marketing agency that services some of the biggest brands in law.
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Our intro music is adapted from 'Sprightly' by GarageBand Apple Loop and 'Sprightly Remix' by Adamo.
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