The Legal Cheek View
Made up of more than 100 barristers, of whom an impressive 27 are KCs, Crown Office Chambers is one of the leading civil and commercial sets in the country. Due to its sheer size, the set has numerous teams, meaning barristers here have “plenty of opportunity” to spread their wings into areas outside of their traditional practices. With expertise ranging from clinical negligence claims to international commercial litigation, a tenant at the set tells us that the set has an “equally strong reputation in both commercial and civil work”, something which is “incredibly rare”. This certainly makes the prestigious set perfect for those aspiring barristers who have their hearts set on a varied practice.
Whilst Crown Office is perhaps traditionally best known for its insurance (especially insurer-backed), construction, and property damage work, it also has renowned expertise in inquests and inquiries, clinical negligence, personal injury, product liability, health and safety, professional negligence, criminal regulatory work, civil fraud, and contractual claims — there is a lot going on! A tenant at the set tells us: “it’s so rare for a set to be able to offer first rate work in high end commercial cases and in areas of common law practice… Crown Office manages to do this – it is one of only two or three sets to do so.” The “incredible” range of work looks set to increase even further going forward as Crown Office’s arbitration practice continues to thrive, especially international arbitration in the construction and engineering fields, with the Middle East being a big market for the set. Sports law is also a growing practice area, especially since former professional cricketer Maurice Holmes joined as a tenant!
As well as being broad in range, the work undertaken by tenants at Crown Office is high in quality and interest level. One junior at the set tells us, “I am instructed on a novel professional negligence against a silk (I am 2018 call) and on the diesel emissions litigation — the biggest ever claim before the English courts.” Another adds that the work is “endlessly fascinating. Even as a junior you can take on work that has a real impact on people’s lives”.
This is certainly the case in areas such as personal injury, clinical negligence, and insurance. With past cases including X Children v Minister for Health & Social Services – the largest personal injury claim in British legal history, in which child abuse victims in Jersey sued the Minister for Health & Social Services for £238 million, and the FCA test case, concerning whether thousands of businesses could recover under their business interruption policies for losses caused by the pandemic. It is no surprise that tenants at the set describe their work as involving “a broad range of legal and factual issues and working with interesting and stimulating people”.
Crown Office’s tenants are regularly instructed in the highest courts in the country. One junior tells us they frequently advise on “high end sexual abuse and general personal injury litigation with multiple novel legal issues and regular outings to the Court of Appeal and occasionally the Supreme Court.” Another adds, “I am regularly in the High Court and above”. From tenants working on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry to contractual disputes relating to HS2, the work really does seem to be “varied, stimulating and intellectually demanding”. As one tenant puts it: “very rarely will I have a run of the mill piece of work” but of course “everyone has to pay their bills!” We are told that some of the junior construction work, for example, can be a little more tedious.
It’s not just the KCs and senior juniors who get all the exciting work at Crown Office, however. One pupil tells us: “I’m still a pupil and I’ve already been involved in: a wrongful birth case concerning novel arguments on the duty of care in secondary victim psychiatric injury claims. Interim hearings in commercial court cases involving complex issues of agency and an agent’s duty to diver up client papers, including whether this duty is contractual or imposed by law. Plenty of advisory work concerning the construction of all-risks construction project insurance policies and whether they offer sub-contractors a co-insured defence. I’m never bored at any point and interesting points of law arise on an almost daily basis.” It certainly sounds like a good way to start off your career at the bar!
We hear that it is common for juniors at the set to maintain a broad practice early on — though one junior emphasises that they are “not forced into areas I don’t like”. There are then “opportunities in the future to develop a more specialised practice”. Even those senior juniors and KCs that are more specialised often find themselves doing a range of work as many areas that Crown Office specialises in overlap. Indeed, the set is renowned for taking on complex cases at the intersection of different practice areas. One insider tells us that their work involves “cutting edge litigation that pushes the boundaries in my areas of practice”.
When it comes to the interesting flow of work, this past year has been no exception. It has seen A. John Williams secure a discontinuance for Boots in a High Court trial related to a mesothelioma claim; Isabel Hitching KC appear in a Supreme Court case concerning the tariff amounts for whiplash injuries; Sandesh Singh secure the acquittal of a leading manufacturer of agricultural balers; and, Catherine Foster has appeared in a hotly anticipated Supreme Court appeal confirming the boundaries of vicarious liability. Meanwhile, Claire Toogood KC obtained a committal order on behalf of the NHS in a £600,000 case arising out of a clinical negligence claim and Isabel Hitching KC successfully argued that World War II bomb damage is excluded from insurance cover. Plenty of exciting work!
“The only risk in my experience”, one junior tenant discussing work/life balance tells us, “is of having too much excellent quality work — a great risk to have!” Whilst work/life balance at the bar is ultimately down to individual choice, we are told by several tenants at Crown Office that there is a “strong awareness of the need for a sensible balance” at the set, which one member says means “there is flexibility allowing me to take breaks from work whenever needed, whether that is micro breaks or longer holiday type breaks”. During pupillage, we hear that pupils are “kicked out” at 6pm “pretty much every day” and “supervisors are very keen on pupils not staying late and not bringing too much work home (with assessment periods perhaps being the exception).” This former pupil went on to add, “I rarely had to work weekends unless there was an assessment happening. Once you are into tenancy, it is really up to you how much or how little work you wish to take on. Some tenants take a month off over the summer, others prefer to bill as much work as possible!”
A great advantage at Crown Office is that both the clerks and fellow barristers are “very supportive”. One tenant, who has previously been at two different sets, says that their colleagues at Crown Office are “certainly the most supportive I have met”. One baby junior tells us how this has allowed them to build their practice quickly and to “graduate to serious and interesting cases much earlier in my career than I was expecting”. We are told of the “real camaraderie” and “generosity of spirit among colleagues”, with an open-door policy being in place throughout the set. One junior comments: “everyone is always willing to help with any work queries or any matters about work/life balance and life in general. The general rule is we always stop what we are doing if someone needs to ask a question.” Apparently, there is a “hive mind” group chat which “is used to test arguments and canvas views on procedural and legal problems.”
As well as being there to lend a hand when needed, the Crown Office bunch are “extremely social” – “if anything too sociable, I do need to do some work sometimes” chimes one insider. We hear that there are informal lunches and Friday night drinks, as well as networking drinks with solicitors, an annual Christmas party, and formal dinners to celebrate occasions such as retirements. One junior at the set tells us: “compared to other chambers, we’re known as enjoying a party. We work very hard and the “work hard play hard” cliché definitely applies here”. In fact, the set even has its own in-house bar!
Crown Office’s premises are located opposite Inner Temple Gardens. The views over the gardens and the Thames lead one member to say that “the setting is among the best in London”, meanwhile “the next door competitors are overlooking the car park”. Inner Temple’s fancy Pegasus Bar is also conveniently located next door! The set’s “beautiful” building features traditional Temple architecture mixed with a brand-new modern reception and conference rooms meaning the “outside and public areas are as impressive as you could hope”. As one puts it, “fresh refurb inside, towel service in the showers, five star stuff.”
IT wise, conference rooms include “state of the art technology”. Tech support, provided by an external company, is available 24/7. Chambers also has a “special digital clerks team who create the most amazing digital bundles.”
Crown Office Chambers offers up to three pupillages a year, each coming with an award of £90,000 (comprising £75,000 plus guaranteed earnings of £15,000 in your second six). Pupils will spend their first six sitting with two different supervisors for three months each. Work is predominately completed for these supervisors, but the set says pupils are also likely to receive work from a range of tenants, allowing them to broaden their knowledge. In their second six, pupils will sit with a third supervisor and begin receiving regular instructions in their own right. They can expect to be on their feet in court up to three to four times per week, making applications and conducting small trials, particularly in the county court. Lucky pupils also get to appear in larger cases and even in international courts.
Pupillage at Crown Office comes highly rated. One former pupil tells us: “my pupil masters were all I could hope for and they still maintain a supportive relationship with me even more than a decade later”. Another admits, “pupillage is a weird and Victorian process but it couldn’t be done better than it is here.” As well as their supervisors, pupils are given a mentor — a junior barrister who helps you to learn the ropes. One recent pupil tells us: “compared to friends at other sets, my pupillage was an enjoyable experience. The chance to be on your feet is also invaluable. Not only can you earn more money on top of the already high pupillage award but you also develop real advocacy skills putting you way ahead of pupils at other sets who have spent six months doing paperwork!” Beyond pupillage, the set “offers an excellent array of in-house training” such as equality and diversity training.
Those wishing to apply for pupillage at Crown Office Chambers should apply through the Pupillage Gateway. Around 32 of applicants will be invited to a first-round interview which typically takes place in front of two tenants and is general in nature. Around 15 candidates will then be invited back for a final-round interview which is more extensive and takes place in front of a panel including KCs. Before going into the interview room, candidates will be given a legal problem which they will have around 30 minutes to prepare before they present. Other general questions and ethics questions are also posed.
Crown Office assesses applicants on the following criteria: intellectual ability, analytical skills, sound judgement, oral and written advocacy, interpersonal skills, integrity, organisational skills, determination, and an interest in Crown Office. It uses RARE’s contextual recruitment scheme to assist in sifting the written applications at the first round, which puts a candidate’s achievements into their wider context. The set states that it is committed to equality of opportunity amongst all of its members, and it participates in initiatives such as Access to the Bar, the Pegasus Access and Support Scheme, and Inspiring the Future.