38

Issue 129 | Leeds & Yorkshire Lawyer Magazine

ProfileKBW Chambers

KBW Chambers is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

Andrew Robertson QC, head of chambers,

explains how the set continues to thrive in

today’s challenging legal environment

Very shortly after taking Silk on Maundy Thursday in 1954, George Waller set up his own Chambers at 11 King’s Bench Walk in London, as was the custom at the time.

Back then, 11 King’s Bench Walk, as it was called, consisted of only the future Lord Justice of Appeal himself and his clerk. However, the set soon built up in numbers and cemented a strong reputation for its work in the North East, where almost all of its barristers have been based. The quality of its members has never been in dispute and a number of its former barristers have followed their founder’s footsteps and moved into high positions within the Judiciary over the years.

Today, as KBW Chambers, it is preparing to officially celebrate its 60th anniversary with a gathering this October in Edinburgh of current and former set members. It may have a shortened name, but its 39-strong set has maintained its reputation for being one of the top operators across the North Eastern circuit.

Andrew Robertson QC, head of chambers, joined in 1976. He recalls being very proud to have been welcomed as a tenant, given the high regard that people afforded KBW.

“But I’m even prouder now, given the way that we have adapted to difficult times,” he says.

“When I joined, the work was limited to criminal and personal injury work. Since then, we’ve very much moved with the times, having to change because of all the pressures with publicly funded work, and I’d regard us as a multi-disciplinary set now.”

As well as a broadening of members’ skill set, part of that adaptation has also involved

Still going strong

“The junior end of chambers has been very innovative in pushing direct access. It’s one of those things that we’ve got to do, so if the climate changes, we’ve already got a foot on the ladder, “Andrew Robertson QC, head of KBW Chambers

40

Issue 129 | Leeds & Yorkshire Lawyer Magazine

ProfileKBW Chambers

a physical relocation. Given that the chambers’ barristers have predominantly practised in the North East, questions began to emerge over the practicalities of having a London base as early as the 1980s. A decision was then taken in 1982 to set up an annexe in Leeds. Then, in 2006, around the time that Robertson became head of chambers, the barristers concluded that it was not worth having two sets of chambers.

“It was a bit of an emotional break,” says Robertson. “But that’s all it was.”

KBW is now housed in the Engine House in Leeds, the former premises of the biggest foundry for the production of locomotives in Europe.

“It was a wonderful thing to do and it made our financial base much stronger as we weren’t having to pay for London, of course,” says Robertson. “And we’ve gone from strength to strength since we’ve moved up here.”

The building has retained all the characteristics of the old factory, but also contains state-of-the-art facilities. In that sense, it is a reflection of KBW, which is fiercely protective of its heritage, but always looking to benefit from new ideas and methods of working.

Catch 22There is no arcane reason for KBW’s success. As Robertson points out, it has simply carried out a careful and strict quality control monitoring exercise when it comes to taking on new members. The rest, he says, follows naturally.

“Speaking frankly, I would like us to be bigger,” says Robertson. “First of all, there’s a bit of comfort in size. But secondly, we’ve got so much work that we’re having to send stuff outside of chambers.”

As a result, KBW finds itself in a bit of a quandary. It would like to keep more work on its books, but with only 40 members, cannot do so without growing. But expansion can be tricky, and lead to an ever so slight dilution in quality.

“Chambers as a whole, it’s not just me speaking here, would not want me to say, ‘right, anybody can come in’. We’re still very choosy, but we would welcome the right candidates with open arms in order to get bigger.”

So does that mean that there is a lack of quality candidates in the marketplace?

Not so, says Robertson, but he does believe that there is a problem with law schools being oversubscribed.

“It’s always been a problem,” he says. “When I was at University, there were all these QCs trying to get us to go to the Bar. And then when you did go for it, you found out that you were doing your exams with another thousand people and that there simply wasn’t room for them in the profession.”

Today, however, the Cambridge graduate believes the problem has got worse. KBW receives some 400 applications for its one

annual place, an indication of the depth of candidates looking for a place at the Bar. He admits to feeling sorry for all those who make it as far an interview for pupillage.

“My heart goes out to them, I want to take them all on, I think it’s so unfair to them, but we can only take one.”

“That’s to our benefit and it’s why at the bottom end we get such good people.”

Given the high calibre of new tenant that Robertson and his colleagues aim for, it is not surprising to find that its junior ranks have embraced innovation in the legal services, and made it work to their advantage.

One consequence of this is that KBW offers a limited direct access service to the public.

Robertson is keen to stress – as almost all barristers offering direct access are – that the service does not entail KBW working against solicitors at all.

“It’s one of those things that we’ve got to do, so if the climate changes, we’ve already got a foot on the ladder,” he explains.

Junior barristers at Chambers take it in turns to deal with queries from the public, mostly in the area of road traffic accident work. They offer advice and an honest opinion on a case’s merits, allowing the client the choice of whether or not to instruct them.

Although he sees the need to move with times and be prepared for all eventualities, Robertson is adamant that he wants to see the legal profession retain its current form.

“I’m very much a traditionalist, but I think I speak for the vast number of members of the Bar when I say that a split profession is ideal.

“Trying to fuse the professions would just be change for change’s sake and I don’t think it would benefit anyone,” he says.

Legal aid cuts Equally bereft of any benefit have been the repeated and very public attacks made by the Government on legal aid and barristers’ fees in particular, which Robertson has himself been very opposed to, leading to him getting involved at a high level over the strike action taken earlier this year.

“The problem is that Government has demonstrated that it doesn’t realise what a valuable asset it has in the independent Bar. Grayling just regards us as a commodity, without appreciating the depth of the professionalism, pride and quality that is there, which would just disappear if he had his way.

“It’s a war of attrition. Things have been put off until the last election, which is a victory of sorts for the legal profession. But what gets me, is that as head of chambers, I just want to get on with my job, but you’ve got all this Government action trying to sabotage you from the side, forcing you into political activity.

“Things are OK at the moment, but you can’t relax.”Given KBW’s reputation, there is no danger of that happening

anytime soon.