Katherine Traynor becomes full member after progressing through Chambers’ Pupillage Academy

January 7, 2021

Exchange Chambers has welcomed Katherine (Kate) Traynor as a full member.

Kate becomes the first pupil to progress through Exchange Chambers’ Pupillage Academy which was launched in 2018, when the Set announced its intention to double the number of pupils recruited annually from 3 to 6 pupils.

Exchange has also confirmed its ongoing commitment to offering six pupillages every year, covering crime, commercial and common law.

Having successfully completed her pupillage, Kate’s practice encompasses commercial litigation, banking and finance, costs litigation, property, and insolvency.

During the non-practising first six months of her pupillage, Kate assisted with a wide range of commercial litigation work beyond her year of call, including insolvency, tax, company, tort, property and contract work. Kate attended a number of trials and mediations during her first six and assisted in a wide range of interim applications including administration applications and security for costs applications. She also assisted in preparing advice in relation to a variety of matters including transactions at an undervalue, CVAs’, rights of re-entry and forfeiture, as well as drafting statements of case in respect of directors’ disqualification, wrongful interference of goods, and property disputes.

In the practising second six months of her pupillage, Kate has attended Court (largely remotely) almost every day in relation to a whole range of matters from straightforward insolvency matters through to complex witness trials.  She has been instructed to advise on a large variety of matters including costs litigation, the impact of an IVA on the recovery of damages, wrongful interference, the recovery of early redemption fees, claims in nuisance, and collective enfranchisement. She has also drafted statements of case in respect of claims in nuisance, breach of contract, construction disputes, misrepresentation and wrongful interference of goods.

Commenting on becoming a full member of Exchange Chambers, Kate said:

“I think it would be fair to say that the odds of this day ever happening were stacked against me to some degree. I was registered as a young carer for both of my parents, with my dad having had cancer from 1995 until he passed away in 2015. I did not have the luxury of attending an outstanding high school, but rather I attended a high school in special measures that was actually closed down shortly after I left. I thought that by the time I got round to picking a university, things would change, but unfortunately, my dad was diagnosed as being terminally ill. Because of that, I had to withdraw from the redbrick university I was due to attend and attend another supposedly ‘less prestigious’ university closer to home. I lost my scholarships and bursaries as a consequence. Save for a much-appreciated scholarship from BPP for my year at bar school, I got little to no financial support. Instead, for more than 5 years, I studied and worked full-time to pay for my university education and for my bar finals.

“The last 12 months have been different – especially, as 10 months have been spent in some form of lockdown. But that being said, pupillage has been an amazing learning opportunity, and the support from both of my supervisors, Carly Sandbach and Stephen Connolly, along with that from Chambers more generally has been absolutely invaluable.”

Said Stephen Connolly, Head of the Pupillage Committee at Exchange Chambers:

“Working alongside Carly, it has been a pleasure to supervise Kate over the last twelve months and we are delighted to welcome her as a full member of Chambers.  Kate’s success is a testament to her hard work and commitment, not just in pupillage, but over the past 5 years and more.  Her success is an object lesson to all aspiring barristers that it does not matter a jot what your background is or where you come from, and that with hard work, commitment and single-minded determination anything is possible.  Those are qualities that we search for when looking for our future pupils and Kate has demonstrated those qualities in abundance.

“Despite the uncertainty caused by Covid-19, we are absolutely committed to breaking new ground and increasing access to the Bar for future generations of barristers.”

Exchange Chambers are currently accepting applications for pupillages due to commence September 2022 and March 2023. For more information, please visit our pupillage page here.