Silks appointments 2019: Introducing the new stars at the bar
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 hires barrister duo from newly-merged set
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 […]
We need to move the dial on Bar diversity. Here’s how.
The glacial pace of change in relation to women’s progress at the Bar is disappointing, writes Outer Temple Chambers’ new CEO.
3VB invested in star laterals in 2018: now it’s payoff time
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
QC appointments dip to three-year low with 108 new silks
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 arbitration silk decamps for magic circle set
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 […]
Blackstone Chambers QC faces Lords suspension over sexual harassment claims
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 to track use of female Bar in diversity push
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 and A&O veterans among five new High Court judges
Freshfields’ Sarah Falk will take up a new role as a High Court judge today, alongside A&O’s Ed Murray.
Normanton Chambers to become first in bar’s history to be named after a woman
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 announces new leadership as Moriarty QC bows out
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 […]
4-5 Gray’s Inn Square set for second merger in five years with Arden tie-up
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 partner swaps private practice for the Bar
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 […]
Crisis averted as criminal barristers accept £15m legal aid offer
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 […]
MoJ offers £15m to Criminal Bar after fees dispute
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 […]
39 Essex’s Hodge Malek QC leads four-strong team to 3VB
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 […]
Two-thirds of criminal barristers work for nothing one day a week
Most say the reason they work additional unpaid hours is because the solicitor does less than previously.
Matrix branches out from law with crisis management team launch
Matrix Chambers has launched a new chambers-wide initiative designed to involve its barristers at an earlier stage to provide impartial advice during regulatory investigations. Integrity+ is a new service available to clients which will see Matrix barristers provide objective advice on issues such as the correct choice of law firm or accountant representation in the first […]
Criminal Bar issues harsher proposals to combat fee cuts
The gulf between the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has continued to grow as the CBA ramps up pressure to reject work falling under the Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS). In an announcement issued on 13 May, the CBA encouraged its members to continue rejecting any form of work falling […]
Clifford Chance throws down gauntlet to the Bar with bid to ban brief fees
As part of a push for greater transparency, Clifford Chance has started telling some of the UK’s most prominent commercial sets that it will look to scrap some traditional fees as part of a revamped approach to pricing. Global head of dispute resolution Matthew Newick and London head of dispute resolution Helen Carty have made it […]
Landmark, Littleton and 7KBW among chambers appointing pro bono champions
Chambers are appointing ‘pro bono champions’ as part of a new initiative to encourage barristers to take on not-for-profit work. The move is a result of the Bar Pro Bono Unit’s ‘FABFeb’ campaign which ran over the course of February. The Unit contacted all heads of chambers, senior clerks and chambers directors, at sets with […]
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81% of barristers instructed by litigation heavyweights are men
The most active law firms in the UK courts instructed a total of 810 barristers last year; of which only 19 per cent were women.
SFO to use AI on all cases after landmark Rolls-Royce investigation
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is making AI document review available on all casework from this month, a move that will enable the processing of half a million documents a day and eventually replace the work of independent barristers.
SFO appoints interim head as Green steps down
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has appointed chief operating officer Mark Thompson as interim director as former head David Green QC prepares to step down at the end of this month. Thompson joined the SFO in 2004 and was appointed chief operating officer in October 2016. He will take on the role on 21 April, […]
Premier Motorauctions drops claims against Lloyds and PwC
The long-running battle between Premier Motorauctions, and Lloyds Bank and PwC has come to a close after the Leeds-based car auction company dropped its claims in the case.
Chambers throw weight behind industry calls to reject work
A raft of criminal barristers chambers have thrown their support behind the Criminal Bar Association (CBA)’s calls to reject work falling under a new Ministry of Justice (MoJ) scheme.
Bernie Ecclestone to face trial in October 2019 in bribery dispute
The alleged bribery dispute between former Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone and Bluewaters Communications will go to trial in the High Court in October 2019.
Chambers threaten to strike over 50% fee cut
In a move that will jeopardise the Ministry of Justice’s post-Brexit campaign to market London as the world’s leading legal centre, several criminal chambers are threatening to refuse work from 1 April, The Lawyer has learned.