Two London chambers have agreed a merger they say will create one of the biggest common law sets in the country. The members of 1 Chancery Lane – who include former justice minister Lord Faulks QC – and 9 Gough Chambers, who include Tom Little QC, who has led several high-profile prosecutions including those of Wayne Couzens and Sir David Amess’ killer Ali Harbi Ali, will form a new set named 5 Norwich Street.

Once the merger is completed this autumn, all members and staff from 1 Chancery Lane will join those from 9 Gough Chambers in their existing premises at 5 Norwich Street, near Holborn in central London, the chambers said. The new set will have more than 120 barristers, including 14 silks.

1 Chancery Lane’s head of chambers Simon Readhead QC and 9 Gough Chambers’ current head Jacob Levy QC will also become joint heads of 5 Norwich Street after the merger is completed.

‘We look forward to the new and exciting opportunities that combining the very best of both chambers will bring for our clients and for our barristers and staff,’ Readhead said. ‘This merger is built on shared ambitions and values. By bringing together our specialist expertise and experience, we aim to enhance the quality of the service that we offer to our existing clients and to expand and develop the large range of practice areas in which barristers in both chambers are already widely recognised as pre-eminent in their fields.’

Levy said the merger is ‘both exciting and innovative’, adding: ‘We want to assure all our clients that this is not just business as usual, but business with even greater choice, more variety, more skill and the offer of an even larger pool of first-class advocates delivering first-class and specialist advice in all our core areas of work. And more.’

 

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