Third six pupil Rebecca Vanstone on dining in the House of Lords, getting stranded in far-flung stations and what it feels like to win a case

I started my criminal pupillage 18 months after finishing the BVC. Any thoughts I had of knowing what I was doing after the BVC went straight out of the window and I felt out of my depth very early on. It didn't take long, however, to feel comfortable in my wig and gown (although I'm sure I looked like a child playing dress-up) and to know what was expected of me. One of my first tasks was to read through transcripts in a child sexual abuse case – this opened my eyes to the type of cases my pupil master regularly dealt with and made me realise I'd have to have a strong stomach to come through unscathed.

Things became slightly shaky when, three months into my first six, my pupil master moved to another chambers. However, I was assigned a new supervisor and I continued to gain criminal experience with other members of chambers, including spending two days in Southwark Crown Court observing a theft trial and a substantial amount of time at the Central Criminal Court observing a murder trial. On one of these days a juror went home ill which resulted in the trial being adjourned at 12pm. Less than an hour later I found myself having lunch in the House of Lords with my head of chambers, his junior on the trial and the instructing solicitor. That was definitely the most surreal moment of my pupillage.

I spent the last couple of weeks before my second six observing the newest tenants in chambers – members who had finished their pupillages only weeks before. That was when things began to seem real, scarily real, in fact. Realising that it was only a short time before I would be responsible for running my own trials – a barrister's right of audience being granted upon completion of the first six months of pupillage – resulted in a strange mixture of panic and impatience to receive instructions and get on my feet. My debut was at Luton Crown Court where I was instructed in a breach of community order. Arguably this is the most straightforward hearing that is possible in the Crown Court, but it was daunting for a baby barrister like me, especially when I discovered my hearing was in the middle of a multi-handed trial and I'd therefore have a large audience.

My first Magistrates' Court trial was in Enfield for an allegation of harassment. The defendant had previous for bothering his ex-girlfriend and was on the telephone to her father just moments before the trial began. I certainly didn't enjoy it when the complainant broke down during my cross-examination or when my client started to shout at the magistrates while giving evidence. But all that was forgotten when the bench returned a verdict of not guilty, and afterwards when the client thanked me profusely. After that first trial, I mistakenly believed that getting an acquittal in the Magistrates' Court was not actually that difficult – I've since learnt this is certainly not the case.

Overall, my second six was more difficult than I expected. I still haven't come to terms with being thrown into new situations where I'm not always sure of the answer – it's very disorientating to constantly be in unfamiliar situations, but it's getting easier as time goes on. I didn't expect the constant travelling to far-flung courts to be as tiring as it is – who knew sitting on a train could take so much out of you? Since June (when I started my second six) I have been to courts throughout London, as well as in Sussex, Somerset, Devon, Birmingham and Hereford. It's important to grab a few minutes of sleep at every opportunity, although this isn't always wise… I won't forget the time I was due at Lewes Magistrates' Court and, after being woken up by the train announcement, I jumped off the train to discover I was actually in Cooksbridge, the stop before Lewes. You wouldn't think it would have been much of a problem, but the trains to Lewes run every two hours from there and Cooksbridge isn't really a proper station – just a platform on a main road in the middle of nowhere.

There have been two big highlights since I started on my feet. The first was my first Crown Court trial, four months into my second six. It's something I will never forget, if only because I felt like an imposter. The second was my appearance in the High Court just before Christmas when I was instructed on behalf of a local authority.

It's true what they say about the money at the junior end of the criminal Bar. I have regularly spent more travelling to a court than I expect to receive in my brief fee, but I hope to continue at the Bar unless it no longer remains financially viable (sometimes that day doesn't seem far away). Pupillage certainly hasn't been a breeze (although judging by some of the horror stories I've heard from pupils at other chambers, it seems I may have got off lightly), but overall it has been an enjoyable experience.

Rebecca Vanstone is a third six pupil at 3 Temple Gardens.