Plowden Buildings sets up in Tyneside

The 50-tenant, London-based common law set Plowden Buildings is expanding its regional coverage by establishing a Newcastle base and taking on five new barristers.

The new annexe, which will house the new tenants and offer conferencing facilities, is intended to enhance Plowden Buildings' reputation on the north eastern circuit. Head of chambers William Lowe QC comments: "Our acquisition of the new premises reflects Plowden's continuing commitment to Tyneside."

The new appointments, all of whom are rated for their personal injury and clinical negligence work, will boost this core area of the chambers' practice.

The highly respected senior junior Jeremy Freedman and Philip Kramer both join from 36-tenant New Court Chambers in Newcastle.

Simon Wood and Roger Cooper join from 32-tenant Trinity Chambers, also in Newcastle, while Christopher Williams joins from York Chambers. The fact that four of the new tenants are joining from local sets is a further sign that common law barristers in particular see survival in a large chambers able to offer clients a broad range of practice areas.

Plowden Buildings signalled its policy of expansion in March last year when the set accepted applications from all 27 tenants of Samuel Parrish's chambers, 3 Paper Buildings.

This year the set has suffered mixed fortunes with the departures of Simon Sandford, Andrew Collings and Fiona Moore-Graham.

Temporary premises have been secured until the annexe opens in the autumn. All clerking will continue to be handled from London.