Westgate Chambers

Westgate Chambers provides an unrivalled service to solicitors and members of society who find themselves involved with the law. Our aim is straightforward – excellence in Crime, Family, Civil matters, and Regulatory, Health & Safety and Planning Law.

Types of work undertaken Chambers’ work breaks down into the following practice areas:

Crime 

Our extensive team of specialist criminal law barristers undertake all areas of criminal defence and prosecution work.

Each has a long history of advising and representing clients in cases involving every type of crime, from corporate and white collar crime and serious fraud to murder, sexual offences, violent crime, weapons offences, kidnapping and robbery.

While the bulk of our work is on the South Eastern circuit, we are frequently involved in cases in London and across the rest of the UK at every stage of the criminal law process, from investigatory interviews and pre-charge advice through to court hearings and appeal.

Family 

Our large team of specialist Family law barristers has a long history of advising and representing clients both within the UK and overseas.

Our barristers are highly regarded for their work in cases involving Public Law (Care proceedings and Adoption), Private Law (Child Arrangements) Financial Remedies and Divorce, Judicial Review, Court of Protection, Child Abduction and International Jurisdiction cases, along with Wardship, in all tiers of the Family Court system up to the Supreme Court.

We not only act for Solicitors but also individuals via Direct Access, as well as Local Authorities, Care Organisations, The Police, and Charities.

However, experience has taught us our clients need more than the best legal advice. Given the truly personal nature of a family case, you also need a truly personal touch.

Civil / Public/ Regulatory

The barristers in our specialist Civil Law team have an impressive reputation for providing the highest quality legal advice and advocacy across all the key areas of Civil Law.

Our members are repeatedly recognised for their strong forensic approach to resolving disputes.

Our Civil Law specialists, are most regularly involved in the following area of practice within Civil Law including:

• Inquests
• Police law
• Planning
• Property
• Commercial and Contractual Disputes

Direct Access

Our barristers are licensed to accept instructions direct from members of the public, without the need for an intermediary such as a solicitor. We are a team of approachable and expert barristers who provide clear, solution focussed and effective legal advice in many areas of law. A number of our barristers are also experienced Mediators and Arbitrators, who are able to offer an alternative route to the traditional court-based system to resolve legal issues.

The set 

Up until then, the only Chambers in the South East were Annexes of London Chambers and John and Raymond knew both the solicitors and lay clients in the region deserved something more local, more accessible and more dedicated.

At the same time, they recognised many of the barristers who lived in the South East but had to commute into London each day would probably prefer to be based somewhere closer to home, but also somewhere that would still naturally provide them with cases from London and the South East.

As Lewes had been the premier legal centre in the Southeast for over 400 years, it was the natural choice as a location for the newly formed Westgate Chambers.

To acknowledge Chambers’ first anniversary, members were formally received by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Lane, at his judicial lodgings in Lewes on the 21st of June 1988.

Chambers Tenth Anniversary Dinner was in the presence of the Chief Justice of Ireland, The Hon. Liam Hamilton and the Leader of the House of Lords, Lord Ivor Richards.

Our 15th, 20th and 25th Anniversary Dinners were presided over by Lady Justice Anne Rafferty, Lady Justice of Appeal and her husband Brian John Barker, the Recorder of London at the Old Bailey.

And between all these landmark anniversaries, Westgate Chambers has continued to thrive.

Now with more than 35 years of legal excellence comfortably under our belts, we have been home to over 100 lawyers, many of whom have appeared in some of England and Wales’s most notable trials, many of whom have graduated as Judges in various capacities.