James Miller first wrote about his slightly unconventional journey to the Bar last year, so he was delighted when Counsel magazine invited him to expand on the story for its 2026 Student and Pupillage Guide.
James said: ‘Growing up in Burnage, Oasis inevitably feature in the soundtrack. However, the story is really about doing badly at school, making plenty of mistakes along the way and eventually finding a sense of purpose in advocacy.’
‘There is no single route to the Bar and you don’t have to look like an obvious future barrister at 16, 18 or even 21 to eventually become one.
If sharing some of my wrong turns encourages even one aspiring barrister to keep going, I’ll be very pleased.’
James’ article features on pages 12-13 of the ‘Bar Student & Pupillage Applicant Guide 2026.’
Many thanks to Elsa Booth, Commissioning Editor of Counsel, for the invitation.