187 Chambers

Chambers conducts its recruitment process in accordance with the principles of the Equality Act 2010, the Bar Council Fair Recruitment Guide, and the BSB Handbook Equality Rules. Opportunities are open to all qualified candidates, and we seek to recruit from the largest possible pool of available talent. We welcome applications from those from non-traditional or disadvantaged backgrounds. 

How did you find the transition from pupil to qualified barrister?
The transition was, in most ways, seamless. Relationships with instructing solicitors I had built in the practising period of my pupillage continued to develop, and the kicking-in of chambers commission was offset by the expansion of work coming into my diary. One notable difference was a change in focus from securing tenancy to building a practice, and a concomitant moving of the horizon of my professional attention from months to years.

What do you wish you’d known about being a barrister before you started?
The extent of the control granted to barristers over their cases can take some adjusting to, especially when dealing with solicitors of substantially greater experience. Knowing the extent to which my advice would be welcomed, or indeed awaited, would have served me well.

I already had some awareness (and experience) of the financial realities of self-employment, but a deeper appreciation of the nuances of legal aid billing and payment would have helped.

What do you enjoy most about being a barrister?
It is quite simply the best job in the world. The freedom of self-employment, the endlessly interesting new cases, and the possibility to effect real change in people’s lives while simultaneously serving the constitutionally essential function of the rule of law combine to keep each day fresh and exciting.

What is the most challenging part of being a barrister for you?
Providing appropriate advice to each client. In even a ‘routine’ case there are complexities which merit research to ensure correct advice is given. As barristers we are trusted to advise people at supremely difficult moments in their lives, and it is a responsibility never to be taken lightly.

Do you have any advice for aspiring barristers?
Gain a full appreciation of the area in which you intend to practise; the realities of the profession extend far beyond the courtroom and many of the most important skills are deployed entirely outside of it. Only by really understanding what skills are required will you be able to cultivate them, such as to make you a stand-out candidate for pupillage.

What do you think differentiates your chambers from its competitors?
187 Chambers has a well-deserved reputation for friendliness at the criminal Bar. While that may seem a mere nicety, practising from a respected set with such a reputation has been invaluable in interactions with opponents, who tend to presume a certain collegiate approach and conduct themselves equally. 187 also benefits from real strength in depth, with excellent advocates across core crime and a number of quasi-criminal and regulatory specialisms represented at all levels of call, rather than concentrated among the senior members.

What do you think clients are looking for from a modern chambers?
Responsiveness and flexibility. With huge pressures on the criminal justice system, and cases increasingly calling upon expertise in fields beyond strictly criminal law, the ability to respond quickly to the requests of clients lay and professional is of central importance. Turning to flexibility, clients need confidence that both individual members and chambers as a whole are equipped with knowledge of a range of adjacent fields in order to fully serve their needs.

What issues are driving change at the modern Bar? How do you see your chambers adapting to such change?
The huge quantity of work occasioned by the backlog combined with the high attrition at the junior criminal Bar over the last decade has left a glut of work, substantially impacting on conditions for barristers. Chambers has responded by expanding the number of pupillages offered from two to three, to increase the scale and strength of chambers into the next generation.

The increased digitisation of court work and the lessons of the pandemic have also changed the traditional requirement for large amounts of office space in chambers. 187 has responded by moving to a high-quality suite of rooms with just enough space for our needs, allowing us to continue to provide our existing services to our clients and appropriate workspaces to our members, without the expense and inefficiency of unoccupied rooms. Chambers also offers a series of training sessions on technology and software to enhance members’ ability to operate with such tools in and out of court.

What, if any, technology has chambers recently invested in?
As part of the move to its new suite of rooms, chambers has invested in full videoconferencing facilities which are available for CVP hearings, client conferences national and international, and chambers meetings. 187 continues to be attentive to technological developments and will no doubt continue to develop its facilities as demands change.

How has this tech changed the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?
The expanded videoconferencing facilities have enhanced the ability of chambers’ members to undertake cross-jurisdictional work, where travel to chambers may be inconvenient for clients. It has also expanded the ability of chambers to play host to larger conferences in place of the offices of our professional clients, especially those involving multiple participants.