How to become a barrister or judge
Official title: Barristers and judges
Also called: Barrister, Circuit judge, District judge, Barrister-at-law, Sheriff clerk, Crown advocate, Legal advocate, King's counsel, Queen's counsel, Crown prosecutor, Official referee, Procurator fiscal
Barristers and judges prepare and conduct court cases on behalf of clients, preside over judicial proceedings, and pronounce judgements within a variety of court settings and tribunals.
Main tasks
- Becomes acquainted with the facts of a case through reading statements, law reports, and consulting with clients or other professionals
- Advises client on the basis of legal knowledge, research and past precedent as to whether to proceed with legal action
- Drafts pleadings and questions in preparation for court cases, appears in court to present evidence to the judge and jury, cross examines witnesses and sums up why the court should decide in their client’s favour
- Hears, reads and evaluates evidence, and instructs or advises the jury on points of law or procedure
- Conducts trials according to rules of procedure, announces the verdict and passes sentence and/or awards costs and damages
How to become one
Entry to training requires a qualifying law degree or postgraduate diploma. Entrants then undertake a one year Bar Professional Training Course followed by pupillage in one of the Inns of Court. The system for training of advocates in Scotland requires a postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Practice, followed by two years’ training as a solicitor and period of professional training lasting several months. The position of judge is obtained by appointment of those who have substantial post-qualifying experience in legal practice.
Ways in
- University: Law & Justice degrees, Offered by 26 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £50,915 a year The middle half earn £30,085 to null.
- About 34,900 people work in this job now, and about 39,200 are projected by 2035. (+12.2%)
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Questions people ask
How do I become a barrister or judge?
Entry to training requires a qualifying law degree or postgraduate diploma. Entrants then undertake a one year Bar Professional Training Course followed by pupillage in one of the Inns of Court. The system for training of advocates in Scotland requires a postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Practice, followed by two years’ training as a solicitor and period of professional training lasting several months. The position of judge is obtained by appointment of those who have substantial post-qualifying experience in legal practice.
How much does a barrister or judge earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £50,915 a year (Office for National Statistics).
Is a barrister or judge a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 12% by 2035, from about 34,900 to about 39,200 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become a barrister or judge?
Usually. 100% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.