The Legal Cheek View
Meet Kings Chambers at Legal Cheek’s upcoming Virtual Pupillage Fair!
Kings Chambers is undoubtedly a northern powerhouse and one of the biggest names on the Northern Circuit. Founded in Manchester in 1946, it also has offices in Leeds (which opened in 1996) and Birmingham (opened in 2012). Over the years, Kings Chambers has grown exponentially and is now one of just a handful of chambers with more than 100 barristers.
For the first 50 years of its life, Kings Chambers operated as a full service chambers. However, in 1996 the set stopped doing criminal, family and — for the most part — publicly funded work, to focus exclusively on civil law.
Instructions flow in across the full range of civil practice areas, with chambers divided into the following four departments: chancery and commercial law, planning and environmental law, administrative and public law, and personal injury and clinical negligence. It has both extensive litigation and arbitration experience. Despite being based in the North, members are said to work all over the country and also in foreign jurisdictions, including the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, and the UAE.
Whether it’s Mark Harper KC representing sporting icons such as Wayne Rooney and Sir Bradley Wiggins against their agents, or Louis Doyle KC discharging Boris Becker from bankruptcy, there’s always big things happening at this set. On the commercial side, members, particularly KCs, appear in a number of significant reported cases. We are a little jealous to hear that Thomas Williams was recently involved in a ground-breaking case before the Qatar International Court which established the court’s jurisdiction to order security for costs. Meanwhile, Steven Flynn has been successful in persuading the FA Judicial Panel to stay an order closing Bury FC’s football stadium for two matches after breaching FA rules.
Planning law is another central area for Kings Chambers — the set even has a Planning Podcast! Construction disputes handled by the set range from rights of way for HS2 to Premier League football stadia through to onshore wind farms. Recently, Paul Tucker KC and Constanze Bell have advised Liverpool Council in relation to Everton’s new waterfront stadium. Kings’ planning prowess has also been bolstered by Christopher Katkowski KC — described as “a legend of the bar” — moving across from Landmark Chambers this year. Kings is also one of the few chambers outside London to regularly represent clients on matters before the Technology and Construction Court (TCC). Indeed, after retiring from the TCC, Judge David Gilliland KC joined Kings Chambers as an arbitrator.
The administrative and public law department covers a wide array of areas, from the Court of Protection to local government cases. Recently, for example, Sam Karim KC has led a Kings Chambers team of licencing specialists who were instructed during the Covid-19 pandemic to challenge various UK government closures and curfews. Members of Kings Chambers take on both public and privately funded work in this area. Constanze Bell recently acted for a successful claimant in a “reasons challenge” judicial review. The case had a planning element to it — something which is very common at this set. A number of barristers are on the Attorney-General’s provincial panel for civil litigation.
On the clinical negligence side, one junior describes that they have a “varied and interesting” practice, with another describing that “the medical science side of clinical negligence is really interesting”. Gerard McDermott KC and Toby Coupe recently secured £23 million in compensation for the victim of a road traffic collision who suffered life-changing injuries. Personal injury is described by a junior as “more cut-and-thrust” with “a wider opportunity for advocacy”. The set has particular experience in aircraft-related deaths — and acted in the inquests into the Nimrod XV230 Air Disaster, the single largest loss of life suffered by the British military since the Falklands war.
From a rookie barrister’s perspective, there is a range of matters on which to cut your teeth — from supporting more senior lawyers on high profile cases to handling your own matters in lower courts. One junior tells us: “For the most part I feel very lucky to do a job that’s varied, throws up complex questions that need researching, and has a fair bit of variety.”
There is a supportive culture at Kings Chambers from the bottom up. Insiders describe “excellent junior member camaraderie” whilst “senior members of the chambers make a real effort to check in.” There’s also “great wellbeing support, especially for pupils” which continues into tenancy, with colleagues “always on hand over the phone if needed”. One barrister, who moved to Kings Chambers from another set, commented that they were “provided with extensive support and mentoring when developing new practice areas”.
Like most chambers, rookies can be expected to work between 50 and 60 hours a week. Members are generally happy with their work/life balance and sources tell us “chambers does respect the boundaries put in place” whilst “clerks are hugely supportive and look after you”. One junior observes that their senior colleagues with children are supported, with clerks being “fully supportive of part-time working/non-working days fixed each week”.
Views on social life at Kings Chambers are a little mixed, although generally positive. The regular events throughout the year, which include summer, Christmas, and silk parties, are said to be “good fun”, with those at the junior junior end praising a calendar that includes “plenty of events”, “both client facing and internal”. Manchester is reported to have the best social scene, as it has the biggest office and more younger members, whilst Leeds and Birmingham receive less praise. Ultimately, however, “there are plenty of opportunities” for those looking to make the most of their social life at work.
In terms of the buildings, Manchester and Leeds are described as “magnificent”. Leeds’ half-a-million pound makeover continues to impress a few years on, with insiders praising the “great IT” and “good facilities” on offer there. Both are centrally located in their respective cities and much of their stream of work comes from the many big firms around them. The Birmingham building, whilst also central, is described as “well-furnished” but comparatively “a satellite site and small”. It did benefit from some additional conference facilities being created during the pandemic.
Inside the buildings, one junior commented that some of the rooms available for more junior members of chambers aren’t always ideal, with more senior barristers inevitably “reserving the nice rooms”. This isn’t the case across the board, however, with head of chambers, Andrew Singer KC, for example, sharing a room with two barristers of less that five year’s call – not a bad sounding board for any tricky issues or matters you might have! Beyond the rooms, the library, clerking and staffing are all described as both “excellent” and “exceptional”.
The set offers up to four pupillages a year across its locations, with a pupillage package worth £70,000 including guaranteed earnings of £25,000. Training at the set comes highly-rated. The first six is described as “very good preparation” with a focus on shadowing and then working for “very friendly” colleagues, including Kings’ roster of 24 KCs, one of the best collections of senior lawyers outside London. During the second six, rookies can find themselves in court “up to three times a week.” All offers of pupillage are made with a view to tenancy.
Kings Chambers emphasises on its website that it has a focus on equality and diversity, and welcomes candidates “from all backgrounds” and “sectors of the community”. Indeed, in September 2021, alongside Cornerstone Barristers, Field Court Chambers, Francis Taylor Building, and Landmark Chambers — all other specialist planning, property and public law sets — it launched a mentoring scheme for underrepresented groups at the bar. The set says that it is looking to develop barristers with an “uncompromising attitude to quality and client service”.
Kings Chambers recruits through the Pupillage Gateway. After application sifting, first-round interviews take place, which are conducted by at least two members of chambers and last around 15-20 minutes. The second-round interview is more extensive and takes place in front of a panel, typically including at least one KC. Candidates are normally asked to deliver a presentation to the panel on a topic of their choice. They may also be expected to provide a submission in respect of a problem provided in advance of the interview. Kings Chambers states that it is not looking for the “finished article” — it is the purpose of pupillage to produce this. The set is, however, looking for candidates with “the potential to become excellent barristers”.
