Expansionist 22 Old Buildings changes name along with address

Common law and family chambers 22 Old Buildings today (17 September) moved to 42 Bedford Row after outgrowing its former home in Lincoln's Inn.

The set decided to buy its own premises as its 10 silks and 60 juniors could not be housed in the old facilities.

Alan Brewer, senior clerk at the set now known as 42 Bedford Row, said making the move was a long and hard decision as the set was at its former address for 20 years.

"We had simply outgrown the building and already had an annexe of 15 barristers," said Brewer. "If we wanted to stay at Lincoln's Inn we would have had to have another annexe and would have been splintered all over the place.

"The additional reason was that the rents at the Inn worked out to be higher than the mortgage repayments on the new place. So it made economic sense."

The new home consists of two adjoining seventeenth century buildings and provides double the space for the set.