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Zoe, Akyea & Co. accepts applications for pupillage on a rolling basis; however, successful applicants typically apply to the Firm prior to receiving their qualifying results from the Ghana School of Law.
To join the Firm, candidates undergo a rigorous but fair selection process.
Applications will first be subject to a paper assessment. As such, applicants should fill out the relevant form on our website or send their application forms to info@zakyea.com.
Each application form is carefully and independently reviewed by at least two members of the Careers Committee. Based on our selection criteria, the members will decide whether a candidate should be invited for an interview.
There are typically around 35 – 50 applicants for up to a maximum of four pupillage places. Applications for pupillage are assessed and determined solely on merit.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive at the paper stage, we are unfortunately unable to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
We welcome applications from outstanding candidates of all backgrounds.
Approximately 10-25 applicants are invited for an interview, which is conducted by at least two members of the Firm of varying seniority.
Applicants are required to arrive at the Firm at least two hours prior to their scheduled interview to review and prepare their response to an assigned legal problem, which will form the basis of the interview discussion. Given the range of backgrounds of those who apply to the Firm, we endeavour to select a self-contained problem that does not require knowledge of any particular legal area.
Applicants will wait in a quiet, supervised setting and may prepare submissions in relation to the legal problem.
During the interview, applicants will have the opportunity to present their legal analysis, make oral arguments, or submit a legal opinion to the panel, depending on the nature of the legal issue.
The panel may ask questions with the aim of understanding a candidate’s approach to analysis, rather than catching them off guard. Interviewers are not there to catch you out but instead to give you a chance to prove yourself. Candidates may also be asked to argue a position concerning a separate, unseen legal or topical issue with an emphasis on their ability to engage with the panel members.
Applicants will thereafter be asked questions arising out of their application forms, such as their academic record and previous experience.
The interview lasts approximately thirty minutes and is designed to test the applicant’s ability to reason, think on their feet, and demonstrate intellectual, analytical, and advocacy skills. Specialist legal knowledge is not required; however, candidates are expected to demonstrate a general understanding of legal matters that they have encountered during their law degree.
Other questions are designed to assess a candidate’s ethical judgment and personal qualities such as resilience, motivation, and dynamism.
At each interview, applicants will have the opportunity to ask the panel any further questions about the pupillage and Zoe, Akyea & Co.
All our interviews are conducted in person, except in exceptional circumstances.
In the interest of fairness, we invite applicants to disclose, when applying, any disadvantages they have faced in qualifying for the Bar. This policy is not intended to give disadvantaged candidates an unfair advantage but to compensate disadvantaged persons consistently, transparently, and proportionately.
Although they may overlap, we categorise disadvantages into two groups: socio–economic disadvantages and personal mitigating circumstances.
Personal mitigating circumstances are disadvantages that can affect anyone, regardless of their background and level of economic or social advantage, such as a period of ill health, bereavement of a close relative, or other upheaval that affects examination results or disrupts other attainment and experience.
Socio-economic disadvantages are concerned with structural disadvantages, which tend to disadvantage people who have experienced them rather than affecting all parts of society equally.
This may include significant financial hardship, disability, and significant caring responsibilities.
The Careers Committee will take the information provided into account when deciding whether a candidate should be invited for an interview despite not strictly meeting our selection criteria.
Candidates are first assessed independently by each member of the interview panel. The entire panel then discusses these assessments to reach a combined evaluation of each candidate, based on the applicant’s performance in the interview and their paper application.
Recommended candidates are presented to the Head of Chambers, who makes the final decision regarding recruitment.
Our application process is designed to ensure fairness, and the Firm extends offers to candidates based on their overall performance and merit.
Candidates are notified of the results of their applications immediately after the decision is made.
When an applicant is successful, we will provide an offer letter and employment contract with further relevant details.
The Firm will not take up references or require university certificates or transcripts until a candidate’s application has progressed through to an offer of pupillage. We will contact successful candidates at the relevant time to make this request.
We strongly advise that you contact your referees and your universities well in advance of these possible requirements. Any delay may prejudice the processing of your application.
We acknowledge that candidates who submit applications will be providing sensitive personal information.
Written applications are anonymised before they are assessed so that markers do not know the name or gender of an applicant (except to the extent that this is apparent, for example, from attendance at a single-sex school or from an applicant’s description of an activity or attainment).
The information provided in answer to an application form is received in strict confidence and will not be used for any purpose other than to shortlist for an interview.
The Chair of the Careers Committee may (in administering and monitoring pupillage recruitment and responding to queries) view complete application forms, including names of candidates. This will be handled in strict confidence.
If you submit an employment application, we will record and use the information you have provided strictly for the purpose of dealing with your application and, if the application is successful, for establishing your personnel record. This information will not be kept any longer than is necessary for these purposes.
If you have any questions about the application process that are not covered in our pupillage policy or on this website, please send your questions to info@zakyea.com
This website uses cookies to personalize your experience. By accessing our website, you accept these terms of use and agree to be bound as described on our Terms of Services page.