There is a well-worn saying in the business world that if you aren’t growing, then you’re moving backwards; standing still is not enough. Basking in the reflected glory of historic success has never been the way at St Philips, and to prove the point, 2023 has been another year of evolution as we strive to sustainably grow Chambers while placing true expertise and client care at the heart of everything we do.
This year we have seen unprecedented growth as our already immensely strong and diverse team has been further enhanced with the arrival of first-class incoming talent. St Philips is increasingly becoming the first choice for high-quality barristers looking to maximise their potential. We pride ourselves on fostering a culture that enables barristers to thrive and fully expect our active recruitment drive to continue into 2024 and beyond.
New tenants who have joined in 2023 so far are:
- Michelle Caney (Business and Property)
- Ben Douglas-Jones KC, Rebecca Wade KC, William Douglas-Jones, Marcus Harry, Will Smout, Kiran Pourawal, Amy Jackson, Sara Wyeth and Callum Church (Crime)
- Adele Akers (Employment)
- Michelle Christie, Emma Templar, Abigail Turner, Ruby Jamieson, Sophie Laurence, and Paris Stokes (Family)
- Duncan Craig (Regulatory)
In addition, it was immensely fulfilling to see all our pupils once again be offered tenancy and a warm welcome to post-pupillage life has been extended to Clare Rennie, Kavita Sandu, Tamsin Sandiford, Lauren Starmer, Angus Thomas, and Robert Ward. Our focus on organic growth and commitment to developing the future of the Bar was further affirmed through the recruitment of a record eight pupil barristers who commenced specialist pupillages with us in October this year. Vithyah Chelvam also joined our criminal and regulatory groups’ as a probationary tenant.
An exciting development for Chambers occurred back in the summer when Sara Lewis KC was appointed as our new Head of Chambers. Sara succeeded Richard Atkins KC and is a highly experienced and respected KC specialising in family law. Sara’s appointment as Head follows the appointment last year of Yolanda Pemberton as Chair of our Management Committee and Board of Directors. Their promotions demonstrate our unwavering commitment to maximise the potential of our female members.
As the nights start to draw in, we also reflect on our Legal 500 Bar Rankings which are very much “hot off the press” at the time of writing. We were, of course, delighted to retain our Top Tier status with an increase in the number of our specialist practice areas attaining a Tier 1 award.
The Top Tier specialisms include: Business and Regulatory Crime (including Health and Safety), Chancery, Probate and Tax, Commercial Litigation, Company and Insolvency, Crime (General and Fraud), Employment, Family: Children & Domestic Violence, Professional Negligence, Property and Construction. We are also proud to be recommended for Clinical Negligence, Personal Injury, Family: Divorce & Financial Remedy; and to secure barrister rankings for Costs, Inquests and Inquiries, and Licensing.
Individually, our barristers received 99 rankings across the Midland and North-Eastern Circuits, breaking the three-figure barrier is without doubt in sight for 2025! We were also delighted to see six of our members named as Rising Stars.
As ever, a huge thank you to all those clients who took the time to provide feedback to the Legal 500 researchers.
2023 marked the 25th anniversary of the formation of St Philips Chambers – a milestone that included a night of celebration at Birmingham’s Council House which not only focused our minds on the successes we have jointly achieved since 1998, but also provided a catalyst for the formulation of exciting plans for the future; plans which will see us continue to cement St Philips as a forward-thinking, progressive force at the Bar.
Tel: 0121 246 7000
Email: enquiries@st-philips.com
Web: www.st-philips.com
Birmingham: 55 Temple Row, Birmingham B2 5LS
Leeds: 29 Park Square, Leeds LS1 2PQ