The speed-networking style events are designed to ensure that lawyers at the firm develop connections with a broader range of barristers and to encourage chambers to present a more diverse bench.
Essex Court Chambers has expanded its commercial and chancery practice with the arrival of a barrister from Erskine Chambers. The set, crowned Chambers of the Year at The Lawyer Awards last week, has hired Tim Akkouh. Akkouh was called to the Bar in 2004 and will add substantial experience to the set’s civil fraud and […]
The poor pipeline of female employment silk applications isn’t due to shyness or lack of ability; it’s structural.
Is the system conspiring against female barristers? We weigh up the evidence, using data on cases at both the Employment Appeals Tribunal and the Court of Appeal
London is rich in talent at the bar, and the sets shortlisted for this year’s Chambers of the Year category have shown considerable acumen in growing their businesses. Commercial and employment set 11KBW has seen significant financial growth over the past five years, with a particularly strong performance in 2018 when it predicted an increase […]
The only female silk at 3 Verulam Buildings is leaving the set to join Allen & Overy Consulting on a part-time basis. Catherine Gibaud QC will leave 3VB to join A&O Consulting as a senior adviser to CEO Sally Dewar and her team. A&O Consulting advises clients on issues relating to governance, corporate purpose and […]
The English Bar continues to provide a stage for the brightest minds in the profession and 2018 was no different.
Northern-headquartered Exchange Chambers has decided to make the move to London, after announcing a record turnover in the last financial year. The set is firmly established in the North, with offices in Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds but a revenue of £33.1m in 2018/19 has led the chambers to explore opportunities in London. The set has […]
A long-established commercial silk has joined 4 Pump Court from XXIV Old Buildings, expanding the set’s commercial practice. Stephen Cogley QC joined 4 Pump Court yesterday (28 May), bringing experience in both domestic and international commercial disputes across the shipping, energy, banking, financial services and insurance sectors. Cogley specialises in major multi-disciplinary disputes involving fraud, […]
The Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA) has applied to the Bar Standards Board (BSB) to be authorised to deliver a new version of the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) from autumn 2020. If approved, the course will be unique in that it will be run as a not-for-profit venture. Speaking to Lawyer 2B, course director […]
One Brick Court‘s former head of chambers Lord Garnier QC is to take on a new role ahead of the set’s closure this summer. Lord Garnier QC is moving to 4 Pump Court and is the latest barrister to find a new home after a decision was made to close One Brick Court two months […]
One Essex Court (OEC) has been hit with a rare departure from its silk ranks as Zoe O’Sullivan QC has swapped the commercial-heavy set for a new role at the Bar. O’Sullivan is joining the more Chancery-focused Serle Court. OEC has been more associated with star hires, swelling its ranks with the likes of Alexander […]
The annual silk round brings the brains of Britain to the fore, but once again there are too few women or lawyers from ethnic minorities making the QC grade
Landmark Chambers has strengthened its already robust property practice with the addition of three junior barristers to one of the set’s primary areas. Justin Bates and Brooke Lyne both join the set from 4-5 Gray’s Inn, while new colleague Simon Allison has arrived from construction rival Hardwicke Chambers. The trio’s practices have focused heavily on […]
The glacial pace of change in relation to women’s progress at the Bar is disappointing, writes Outer Temple Chambers’ new CEO.
The arrival of Hodge Malek QC and Hefin Rees QC last year are evidence of a bounceback by 3VB after Sonia Tolaney QC’s high-profile defection
Barristers from sets including Red Lion Chambers, Brick Court and 3 Verulam Buildings are among the 108 new QCs to be announced today, while lawyers have also made silk from Allen & Overy and White & Case. There will be 108 new QCs this year, with the female percentage in this year’s round reaching at […]
4 Pump Court silk Alexander Gunning QC has joined magic circle chambers One Essex Court in a key boost to the set’s arbitration group. Gunning was first called to the Bar in 1994, taking silk six years ago with a practice focused heavily on international arbitration, as well as commercial in the energy, insurance, construction […]
One of Blackstone Chambers’ longest serving members will appear before a hearing later this week after allegations of sexual harassment led an inquiry to recommend his suspension from the House of Lords until 2022. Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC will attend a hearing at the House on Thursday (15 November), which will rule on whether […]
Clifford Chance global head of litigation & dispute resolution Matthew Newick has pledged to leverage data held within the disputes group in a diversity push to increase its use of the female Bar and unearth “hidden gems”. In a push to follow through on one of his earliest pledges after taking over from predecessor Jeremy […]
Freshfields’ Sarah Falk will take up a new role as a High Court judge today, alongside A&O’s Ed Murray.
The bar is to get its first set of chambers named after a woman. 218 Strand Chambers, a set of eight members which launched at the start of 2018, is to rebrand as Normanton Chambers in January 2019, after Helena Normanton KC, the first woman to practice at the bar and the second to be […]
Fountain Court Chambers’ Bankim Thanki QC has followed up his recent high-profile victories in the Court of Appeal by being named as the set’s new head. An extremely successful month for Thanki saw him play a significant role in high-profile cases for the Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) and Ukraine and has now been topped off […]
Housing set Arden Chambers will merge with public, planning and property set 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square effective from 1 October in the latter’s second merger in just over five years. The new set will take 4-5 Gray’s Inn’s name initially, with Arden Chambers senior practice manager Emily Martin continuing to lead the legacy set’s work […]
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer restructuring partner Nick Segal is switching private practice for the Bar, taking on a new role at Erskine Chambers. Segal is set to join the chambers as a barrister in September, after he has been successfully admitted to the Bar. Segal joined Freshfields in 2006 on his return to the UK from […]
The Criminal Bar Association (CBA)’s feud with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has ended with 51.55 per cent of members voting to accept the £15m offer that was put to them two weeks ago. The offer was accepted through a slim majority voting in favour of the reforms with an 85 per cent turnout from […]
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has offered the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) £15m as the government entity seeks to end the increasingly tense standoff between the two bodies. The deal is said to be an entirely new investment and will include an £8m cash injection for barristers who have lost money through a change in […]
3 Verulam Buildings (3VB) has taken Hodge Malek QC and four junior barristers from 39 Essex Chambers, along with three international lawyers who join as associate members. Malek – who acted for Alexandra Tolstoy and her children during the mammoth case against Russian oligarch Sergei Pugachev last year – will join the set today bringing barristers […]
