Crown Office looks north for tie-up with Scotland’s Compass

London-based civil and common law set Crown Office Chambers is gearing up ;to ;enter ;into ;an ­affiliation with Edinburgh-based Compass Chambers.

The association, which will be made official on 2 October, will be one of the first since the Scottish bar relaxed rules on the business structures of advocates.

Crown Office senior clerk Julian Campbell said the alliance is a step towards deepening the relationship between the English and Scottish bars, enabling members from both sets to offer more comprehensive services to clients on either side of the border.

“This ;affiliation ;will help service the modern needs of their respective clients, particularly insurers, where cross-border claims are concerned,” added Campbell. “Relocations of larger insurers in Scotland also point towards the ­affiliation ­having a large benefit to all concerned.”

The tie-up will give the sets a pool of 111 ­barristers to draw from. They will work together in practice areas such as ­construction, insurance, professional ­negligence, personal ;injury ;and ­commercial.

Compass ;came ;into ­existence in 2007 when the Scottish bar allowed advocates to create English-style chambers, as opposed to being members of a stable (The Lawyer, 30 April 2007).