One Garden Court looks to 'next generation' as co-head steps down

Eleanor Platt QC is standing down as the joint head of family chambers One Garden Court to make way for the next generation.

Stephen Cobb QC, who took silk four years ago, will head the chambers alongside Alison Ball QC.

Ball and Platt have steered the set through 17 years of expansion, with One Garden Court launching in 1990 with 17 members. With 53 barristers it is now the largest chambers specialising solely in family law. Platt, who will continue to practise at the set, said she felt it was time to "give way to the next generation".

"Looking back, family work was sometimes treated as not warranting a specialist approach and Alison and I were determined to change that," said Platt, who was the set's first-ever silk. "It's gratifying that we're now such a strong specialist set."

Cobb hopes to continue Platt's work with Ball to make the set the pre-eminent family chambers in London.

"The chambers is facing challenges from the threats to public funding currently signalled in consultation papers from the Legal Services Commission," said Cobb. "So I'm conscious that the set will need careful management to weather those challenges."