Set swaps All Saints for Queen Chambers

A chambers has undergone a radical rebranding and cost-cutting exercise, changing its name and shifting its criminal barristers out of offices and into the library.

The 40-tenant Bristol set, which was formerly known as All Saints Chambers, has been relaunched as Queen Square Chambers.

It is introducing the innovative measures to reduce its overheads drastically.

The chambers, which was relaunched by Master of the Rolls Lord Woolf, has moved into new premises containing a specially designed library which will operate a hot-desking system.

The criminal practice group and some civil practitioners will no longer have permanent rooms but will use workspaces in the library as and when they are required.

Criminal barristers in particular spend the majority of their time in court and for major litigation can conduct their research and preparation from home.

Chambers director Steve Freeman says the set has cut its overheads greatly by reducing the amount of office space it needs.

He claims this will help criminal practitioners, considered to be most under threat from reforms to the justice system, by reducing their contributions to chambers overheads.

The innovative move also helps the other tenants. If any barristers are forced out because of a loss of work, remaining tenants will no longer have to cover their overheads.