A criminal barrister’s fight against her own chambers and Stonewall took an unexpected turn today, as Allison Bailey criticised a crowdfunding platform for removing her page without warning. Bailey, who has so far raised over £60,000 to fund her Employment Tribunal claim against Garden Court Chambers and the charity, published a comprehensive Twitter post on […]
Keating Chambers has snagged a silk from Landmark Chambers, with Charles Banner QC joining the set. Banner is an English and Irish qualified barrister, who took silk last year and was the youngest in his cohort, aged 38. His recent instructions include high profile judicial reviews concerning the HS2 and Stansted Airport Expansion projects, the […]
A criminal defence barrister has instructed Slater & Gordon partner Peter Daly and 11KBW’s Aileen McColgan QC after bringing a case against her own chambers and LGBT charity Stonewall. Allison Bailey, who is a member of Garden Court Chambers, has so far raised over £60,000 in crowdfunding for her Employment Tribunal claim, arguing that she […]
St Philips Chambers has appointed a new head of chambers in Birmingham, with Andrew Smith QC stepping down. The set has appointed Richard Atkins QC (call 1981) as its new head. Atkins was previously the chair of the Bar of England and Wales in 2019 and leader of the Midland Circuit of three years between […]
A seven-strong team of barristers have left Wilberforce Barristers Chambers in Hull to set up a new family and criminal set in the city. Crown Chambers was launched this month, with Wilberforce’s Naomi Madderson heading up the set. She is joined by six other barristers in the Hull-headquartered family law chambers. Madderson is joined at […]
Three barristers have joined Blackstone Chambers, including a public law silk from Doughty Street. The set had paused targeted recruitment juniors but has now started to hire again with two joiners from Littleton Chambers and Cloisters. The set had also paused targeted recruitment of commercial juniors at the outset of the pandemic but this has […]
A Doughty Street junior has set up the first legal outfitter dedicated to designing courtwear for women. Karlia Lykourgou has set up Ivy & Normanton, which is named after Ivy Williams – the first woman to be called to the Bar in May 1922 and Helena Normanton, who was the second woman to be called. […]
In what is a significant blow for both Visa Europe and Mastercard, the Supreme Court has today sided with a group of British retailers in what has been a prolonged battle over interchange fees. Linklaters, Milbank and Jones Day were unable were overturn a previous Court of Appeal decision on behalf of their payment provider […]
Arbitration has moved up the agenda at major City firms. The silk appointments in January showed how much international arbitration has become a key part of the disputes’ arsenal. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s Nigel Blackaby, Herbert Smith Freehills’ Simon Chapman, Andrew McDougall of White & Case and Clifford Chance partner Jason Fry all took silk earlier […]
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has failed in its attempt to secure pre-action disclosure on behalf of Carillion, as it looks to bring a claim against its former auditors at KPMG. During a judgment handed down on Wednesday, Mr Justice Jacobs deemed it inappropriate for the court to order pre-action disclosure, stating that the “efficient […]
A top Scottish silk has joined 4 Pump Court, as he expands his practice to include matters in England and Wales. Axiom Chambers’ Roddy Dunlop QC is joining 4 Pump Court but will continue to practice in Scotland through Axiom Chambers. Dunlop was instructed by the UK Government last year, in a judicial review over […]
The Supreme Court has made searing criticisms of a High Court judge in a damning ruling, stating that not only did Mr Justice Jay stray from a neutral position during a case but also directed a “barrage of hostility” towards the claimant. Wednesday’s verdict ordered for a full retrial in the case of Serafin v […]
Tottenham MP David Lammy has joined Doughty Street Chambers as an associate tenant. Lammy, who currently serves as the shadow lord chancellor and shadow secretary of state for justice, will now also be an associate tenant at Doughty Street. He is not the first Labour MP to have ties to the set, with the party’s current […]
Wedlake Bell has today issued legal proceedings against the UK Government on behalf of millionaire businessman Simon Dolan, demanding an urgent judicial review into the country’s current lockdown restrictions. Legal action has been launched against Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Gavin Williamson, who is Secretary of State for […]
Medical negligence and common law specialists 9 Gough Square have moved offices and rebranded for the third time since the early 1990s. 9 Gough Square has moved nearer Chancery Lane to new premises at 5 Norwich Street, changing its name as a result from 9 Gough Square (its current home) to 9 Gough Chambers. This […]
The Bar Council has furloughed 20 per cent of its staff and made cuts to spending, as it takes measures during coronavirus. Both the Bar Council and Bar Standards Board (BSB) have implemented a pay and recruitment freeze, which means there will be a saving of £98,000 across the Bar Council and resources group, and […]
Just six months after starting, Ian Moyler has left his position as chambers director at XXIV Old Buildings. The former Brick Court Chambers veteran only officially joined the chancery outfit back in December 2019; however, differing visions between himself and the set have led to his premature departure. Prior to joining XXIV, Moyler had spent […]
Amjad Rihan’s excruciating seven-year wait for vindication came to an end last week, as he succeeded in a landmark whistleblowing dispute with the help of a 4 New Square silk. Pitted against the global accountancy giant EY, Rihan’s legal team pulled off a remarkable result as the High Court awarded him $11m after ruling that […]
The North West chambers linked up with insurance firm Keoghs to dramatically speed up the process of putting together briefings for barristers
In response to mounting financial pressure at the Bar, the four Inns of Court and the Barristers’ Benevolent Association have accelerated efforts to raise funds for struggling practitioners, some of whom cannot afford to “put food on the table”. An urgent appeal for donations was included in a joint letter from Inner Temple, Middle Temple, […]
A five-week battle between Mayer Brown and Humphries Kerstetter is set to go ahead remotely in June after the High Court dismissed the latter’s application to adjourn due to safety concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. During a pre-trial review for a case concerning one of London’s latest landmarks and with allegations of negligence against a renowned […]
Four silks from separate chambers have strayed from usual custom to come together in a bid to create a detailed and publicly available analysis of the UK Government’s furloughing scheme. The collaborating authors include Littleton Chambers’ David Reade QC, Old Square’s Michael Ford QC, 11KBW’s Sean Jones QC and Caspar Glyn QC of Cloisters, all […]
The four Inns of Court have announced an emergency hardship fund to assist barristers who need urgent help amid the coronavirus crisis. Last month, The Lawyer reported that over 200 junior barristers had signed a letter to the Bar Council and its vice-chair Amanda Pinto QC, asking it to respond to the self-employed income support scheme announced […]
The old saying goes that necessity is the mother of invention, and this has been starkly demonstrated within the legal industry over the past few weeks. ‘Necessity’ here is represented by the Covid-19 pandemic, and ‘invention’ by the rapid pace with which professionals have had to rethink the way that they operate while coping with […]
Family chambers 3PB has launched a remote courtroom to assist on the financial aspects of claims brought in the family court. Members at the set have decided to launch the Remote Access Financial Dispute Resolution (FDR) Court Room for instructing law firms and clients, who are now having to engage remotely. The set, which had […]
Atkin Chambers has brought in a partner from Reed Smith, as Shourav Lahiri becomes the second barrister to leave private practice for the Bar in as many weeks. Last week, The Lawyer reported that Stuart Isaacs QC has joined Wilberforce from King & Spalding and Atkin has followed suit in hiring the energy lawyer from Reed Smith. […]
Barrister Keir Starmer has been elected as Labour leader and thus becomes Leader of the Opposition. He has been mentioned many times in the pages of The Lawyer over the years: here are some of the most notable occasions.
Ely Place Chambers is to cease operations from the end of July, as the Bar as a whole faces economic upheaval during the coronavirus pandemic. The set will not continue “in its present form” from the summer, at which point some members are expected to move to new homes. Others are “investigating creating a new […]