Polina Sokolovska -2025 Knights' Awardee at Middle Temple

I am delighted to have received this award.

I am working as a paralegal to a barrister and County Court advocate, and will commence pupillage at 12 King’s Bench Walk this October.

I moved to the United Kingdom from Ukraine a decade ago. After my A Levels, I read law at the University of Warwick, before obtaining a Masters in Law from University College London. I decided to pursue a career at the Bar during my undergraduate studies and in 2022, I completed the Bar Course with the support of scholarships from Middle Temple, receiving a Certificate of Honour from the Inn for my marks.

I remain deeply grateful to Middle Temple and its members for the support they provided to me throughout my journey to the Bar. From scholarships to mentoring, mock interviews and professional events, the guidance and encouragement I received from the Inn played a significant role in my securing pupillage offers last year.

Since then, I have been keen to support the next generation of aspiring barristers in the same way that Middle Temple and its members supported me. As Pre Pupillage Officer of the Middle Temple Young Barristers’ Association, I had the honour of assisting more than 80 aspiring barristers with their pupillage applications, first by organising the Application Review Day and then small group interview workshops.

One of the highlights of this role was organising and chairing a panel event with judicial assistants from all three levels of court. This event was held at the Supreme Court and was attended by more than 200 members of the four Inns of Court. I also had the opportunity to work with organisations including Bridging the Bar in supporting aspiring barristers from a range of backgrounds.

My journey to the Bar was not straightforward. Coming from a different country, I knew nothing of the profession and had no connections in the law. The support I received along the way gave me a great appreciation for the Bar’s commitment to supporting aspiring barristers from a wide range of backgrounds, and I hope to contribute to that tradition as I build my own practice.