New Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has appointed One Essex Court’s Lord Wolfson KC as shadow attorney general. The senior silk is set to shadow Labour Attorney General Lord Hermer KC of Matrix Chambers, who was appointed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer the day after the election in July. Both men sit in the House […]
One Essex Court’s Laurence Rabinowitz KC has been appointed as chair of the UK Takeover Panel, the independent body that regulates takeovers and mergers. Rabinowitz will continue in full-time practice alongside the appointment, which commences on 1 May 2025, when Fountain Court’s Michael Crane KC will retire. Called to the Bar in 1987, Rabinowitz’s recent […]
Bust air conditioning, an electricity shutdown and issues with video feeds: the Rolls Building has had a multitude of meltdowns this year and litigators are furious.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed appeals from Spain and Zimbabwe, following a hearing that saw the separate cases jointly heard. Brought before the UK courts by foreign investors, represented by Kobre & Kim and Baker McKenzie, both countries made similar appeals concerning their immunity to the jurisdiction of the UK’s courts in the context […]
A tribunal judge has been reprimanded by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office after a 17-month delay to deliver a judgment. Judge Lynn Griffin has been issued with formal advice for misconduct following a “substantial delay” in delivering her judgement on the Mermaids v LGB Alliance case. Formal advice is issued when the Lord Chancellor and […]
3 Verulam Buildings (3VB) has lost its third junior barrister in a year to a magic circle set, as the war for talent among chambers heats up. The latest leaver is Tariq Baloch, a senior junior of 2001 call, who joined Essex Court Chambers yesterday (7 October) and practises in international arbitration, public international law […]
With real estate in high demand across the Inns, firms and chambers are seeking out new floor space after last week’s collapse of 9 Stone Buildings. The departure of 9 Stone’s 17 remaining barristers for Selborne Chambers and Tanfield Chambers last Monday forced the set to dissolve. A skip could be seen outside 9 Stone Buildings […]
The former Solicitor General in England and Wales, Michael Tomlinson KC has returned to his former career at the Bar at his old set 3 Paper Buildings (3PB). Tomlinson was one of 13 barristers to lose his seat in the July General Election, with his Liberal Democrat opponent in Mid Dorset and North Poole wiping […]
Pump Court Chambers had £2.75m stolen from its accounts by its own former credit control manager, according to a judgment released today. Gillian Goodfield, who had held her position at the chambers since 2015, was found to have committed the alleged fraud, with the money “spent on her lifestyle”. 4 New Square’s Saaman Pourghadiri appeared […]
9 Stone Buildings, one of the oldest barristers’ chambers in Lincoln’s Inn, has disintegrated as the remainder of its members depart for other sets. 9 Stone was a traditional and commercial chancery set known for its expertise in corporate and personal insolvency matters, and its client roster included liquidators, creditors and Government bodies such as […]
33 Chancery Lane is undergoing a mass operational overhaul and rebrand, hiring its first chief executive, three new barristers and moving premises. The 19-barrister set, led by Kennedy Talbot KC, has hired Outer Temple’s practice director Sam Carter as chief executive and director of clerking to help guide the chambers through its new chapter. Carter […]
A barrister, condemned by an MP over his tweets following the Southport attacks, has left Radcliffe Chambers after 13 years. Steven Barrett, who practises in commercial litigation and writes for The Spectator, is no longer a member of Radcliffe Chambers. According to his LinkedIn profile, Barrett left Radcliffe Chambers this month (August), drawing his career […]
The president of the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), Mr Justice Marcus Smith, has been reprimanded for serious misconduct after he wrote a love letter to a junior colleague. The decision was handed down yesterday (8 August) by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO), and is the most severe sanction short of removal from office. The […]
Rother Valley MP Jake Richards has called for the Bar Standards Board (BSB) to take action over social media posts made by Radcliffe Chambers barrister Steven Barrett regarding police management of the recent attack in Southport, which killed three young girls and injured eight other children and two adults. Richards, who was elected as MP […]
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 general counsel – who qualified as a barrister – has taken to networking platform LinkedIn to protest against rules meaning she cannot sign off qualifying work experience (QWE) for those undertaking the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE). Natalie Connor, a VP of legal at Crowdcube and consultant GC for Legal Edge, has worked as a […]
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. […]
As private practice firms continue to increase NQ pay in a bid to match the competition, magic circle chambers are unmoved. The past year has seen a consistent rise in pupillage awards across the Bar. However, as the quest to attract the best pupils continues and awards reach figures as high as £100,000 in some specialist […]