Patrick Hastings - Career As A Barrister

Career As A Barrister

At the time, there was no organised way for a new barrister to find a pupil master or set of chambers, and in addition the barrister would be expected to pay the pupil master between 50 and 100 guineas (equivalent to between £4,200 and £8,400 as of 2012). This was out of the question for Hastings; thanks to the cost of his call to the Bar, he was so poor that his wig and robes had to be bought on credit. Instead he wandered around Middle Temple and by chance ran into Frederick Corbet, the only practising barrister he knew. After Hastings explained his situation, Corbet offered him a place in his set of chambers, which Hastings immediately accepted. Although he now had a place in chambers, Hastings had no way of getting a pupillage (Corbet only dealt with Privy Council cases) and he instead decided to teach himself by watching cases at the Royal Courts of Justice. Hastings was lucky: the first case he saw involved Rufus Isaacs, Henry Duke and Edward Carson, three of the most distinguished English barristers of the early 20th century. For the next six weeks until the court vacation, Hastings followed these three barristers from court to court "like a faithful hound".