Payne Hicks partner in 13 Old Square move to avoid admin

Partner Chris Jarman has joined the bar after 22 years as a solicitor at private client firm Payne Hicks Beach, choosing 13 Old Square to launch his career as a barrister.

Jarman, who qualified as a barrister in 1976, told The Lawyer he had been looking to return to the bar for around a year as he found himself doing more administration work.

"There are a few reasons why I left for the bar, but principally I felt I was spending more and more time doing what I don't regard as legal work," said Jarman.

Jarman will continue doing non-contentious tax and trust work for private clients.

He said he chose 13 Old Square as it managed to find a satisfactory role for him in the gap between the senior and the more junior barristers.