Welcome to this week’s edition of The Hearing, your insider’s guide to the UK litigation market. This week, why two barristers shifting chambers symbolises the struggles small sets are facing, and as the weather (finally) looks set to improve, you might find yourself inspired to take on cricket’s most exciting new role. South Square’s big […]
Magic circle set Blackstone Chambers has started a dog-walking service to assist its members who have dogs. The scheme has been in place for over a year, and the dogs are walked twice a week for two hours in locations near London Bridge, as well as in Shoreditch and by King’s Cross. The barristers that […]
3 Paper Buildings (3PB) has elected its first female head of chambers, family law silk Liz McGrath KC. A new deputy head of chambers, commercial and construction silk David Parratt KC, was also selected and started his new role last week. McGrath succeeds David Berkley KC, who served a five-year term, while Parratt takes over […]
As counsel to the Post Office inquiry, Jason Beer KC is fast gaining celebrity-level status with thousands tuning in to see him grill key witnesses.
A group of recruiters have departed from Chambers recruitment agency ABC Chambers Solutions, leaving the company with two dedicated recruiters. ABC was launched in 2012 by former clerk Bill Conner and is one of the few central recruitment agencies in the market for Chambers staff and barristers, alongside GRL Legal and Chambers People. The Lawyer […]
Lord Grabiner KC, the former head of One Essex Court (OEC), and colleague Anthony de Garr Robinson KC are set to be quizzed in the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry tomorrow. The two barristers, both long-time legal heavyweights, were instructed by Womble Bond Dickinson to defend the Post Office in the High Court group litigation […]
Mishcon de Reya’s head of international arbitration, Louis Flannery KC, is set to move to Littleton Chambers in August 2024. Flannery, who was appointed as a silk in 2018 as one of a few international arbitration solicitor practitioners, joined Mishcon’s partnership in May 2020. At the time of his joining, the practice was led by […]
Brick Court Chambers is the latest in the legal market to investigate a possible cyber breach. A Brick Court spokesperson said: “We are aware of a potential cyber incident and we are actively working with external cyber specialists to investigate the extent of any data breach. “Chambers remains fully operational and we are taking all […]
One Essex Court has picked two of its silks to succeed Lord Grabiner KC, as he prepares to stand down as head of chambers after three decades. Sonia Tolaney KC and Daniel Toledano KC will succeed Grabiner as joint heads of One Essex Court, The Lawyer can exclusively reveal. It was announced last November that […]
One Essex Court is consolidating its real estate in a bid to modernise and encourage more of its members to work from chambers. The magic circle set has taken over the entirety of 5 Essex Court, which comprises four floors, meaning 27 more barristers’ rooms will be available. The chambers has just completed the tendering […]
3 Paper Buildings’ revenue has grown by 17.8 per cent to £35.8m over the past financial year. The national set’s nearly 18 per cent rise over the 2023/24 period from £30.4m swamps its rise of 5 per cent the previous financial year. The set’s ‘receipts’, or its money received, saw a 14.3 per cent rise from […]
A solicitor-turned-barrister and the Bar’s newest doctor KC; The Lawyer speaks to six of the Bar’s newest silks. The group was announced as KCs-in-waiting earlier this year, with 95 barristers in total getting the nod. Among the 95 were Crucible Law’s Clea Topolski – who having been called in 2014 – is the most junior of the set. […]
One Essex Court’s Lord Anthony Grabiner KC and Anthony De Garr Robinson KC, and partners from Womble Bond Dickinson are set to appear this spring as witnesses in the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. Last week (2 February), the inquiry completed Phase 4, which dealt with actions against sub-postmasters and others around policy-making, audits and […]
Blackstone Chambers’ senior clerk Gary Oliver is set to depart at the end of 2024. The veteran clerk, who has been in his current post for 15 years after joining the set in 1990, will continue to act as a consultant in 2025 and 2026. Joint head of chambers Tom Weisselberg KC said: “We have […]
The Lord Chancellor has announced 95 new King’s Counsel today, equalling the number appointed in the last cohort. Before that, the last year in which the number dipped below 100 was in 2014/15, when 93 silks were appointed. This year attracted 283 applicants – four more than last year’s 279. The overall success rate was […]
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) will publish a list of those who have made silk on Friday 19 January, confirming that 95 barristers will be made KCs and five will be made Honorary KCs, subject to approval from Buckingham Palace. The number of new silks confirmed by the MoJ indicates the figure will remain flat, […]
Magic circle set Fountain Court has hired sports silk and member of The Lawyer’s Hot 100, John Mehrzad KC. Upon completion of his pupillage at Cloisters Chambers, Mehrzad moved to Littleton Chambers in 2010. He was made silk in 2020 after 12 years, the fastest appointee in his year. With around four-fifths of his practice […]
The Metropolitan Police and the Bar Standards Board (BSB) have been sent complaints about a barrister who tweeted his support of this month’s attack on Israel, The Lawyer has learnt. Franck Magennis – who was called to the Bar in 2016 and practises in public, civil and criminal defence at Garden Court Chambers – has […]
The radical set that discriminated against gender-critical barrister has been accused of hypocrisy over male tenant’s social media feed.
Pump Court Tax Chambers’ Giles Goodfellow KC has been accused of producing an “appalling” and “deeply irresponsible” opinion for a tax avoidance scheme in a new investigation by think tank Tax Policy Associates (TPA). The think tank, founded by former Clifford Chance head of tax Dan Neidle, claims that Goodfellow’s opinion facilitated the scheme that […]
Simon Davenport KC has left 3 Hare Court Chambers after nearly 23 years in order to join 4 Pump Court. The commercial and chancery silk specialises in commercial disputes, civil fraud, insolvency, international arbitration and professional negligence cases. He frequently works on overseas legal issues including in Russia and CIS countries. Davenport KC was instructed […]
3 Paper Buildings’ revenue has grown 5 per cent to hit £31.6m over the past financial year. The most recent rise means that the national chambers has seen a 20.5 per cent increase in its turnover since before the pandemic, jumping from £26.22m in 2019/20. The set has also gained 20 new tenants since the […]
The Court of Appeal has today (28 April) dismissed the appeal against Andrew Thornhill KC, the tax silk accused of professional negligence by over 100 investors over advice he provided concerning three similar film finance tax schemes between 2002 and 2004. In a victory for Brick Court and Herbert Smith Freehills, Sir Julian Flaux, Lady […]
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is in the process of deciding whether disciplinary action should be taken against a group of barristers who have signalled their intention to disobey the cab-rank rule. Last week, a group called Lawyers Are Responsible issued a declaration that focused on the need for faster and stronger action for the […]
Today marks the first time in 70 years that new silks will be sworn in as King’s Counsel, as 95 prepare for the ceremony at London’s Westminster Hall. The list was revealed at the end of December, with the number of appointments falling for the second year in a row, despite a slight rise in […]
Magic circle set Blackstone Chambers has elected Mat Swallow as its new chambers director, after stalwart Julia Hornor announced she will retire in May. Swallow, who has served as deputy chambers director, will take over in the spring following an uncontested vote in late January. He joined the set’s management team 14 years ago and […]
Keating Chambers silk Adam Constable KC is soon to be elevated to the bench as a judge at the Technology and Construction Court (TCC), The Lawyer understands. Constable KC will preside alongside the 10 other judges who hear cases in the TCC, with Mrs Justice O’Farrell in charge. He follows in the steps of Mrs […]
Radcliffe Chambers has swiped a team of four from Five Paper’s commercial practice group, including its commercial team leader Simon Mills. Other members from Five Paper that have made the move include Zachary Kell (year of call: 2015), Matthew Tonnard (year of call: 2015) and Alexander Kingston-Splatt (year of call: 2017). The set has also […]