The Legal 500

St Philips is one of the largest sets in the country providing a multi-disciplinary service to its clients on a national, and increasingly international basis, through several specialist groups.

The set:

Each year chambers is instructed in high-profile cases across all practice areas, often with national publicity.

St Philips membership includes one deputy High Court judge, 31 recorders, four deputy district judges, three part-time employment judges, a deputy coroner, a deputy adjudicator, and a chancellor and deputy chancellor of two dioceses. In total, chambers has 14 Queen’s Counsel who have been instructed to act in some of the largest trials taking place within the UK and Europe.

Chambers has a separate alternative dispute resolution (ADR) group, through a bespoke company. This group boasts several highly experienced arbitrators (some with international experience) and a dedicated team of mediators.

Housed in prestigious premises in the heart of Birmingham’s professional services and legal community, opposite St Philip’s Cathedral from whence it received its name, chambers offers an impressive range of facilities. The city centre offices provide a multimedia presentation offering and video conferencing facilities and a suite for up to 100 people. The 13 conference rooms are in constant use, providing unrivalled conference, seminar, arbitration and mediation facilities for clients.

St Philips Chambers has adopted a client-focused ethos which promotes the clients’ professional needs as a first priority.

The extensive and growing criminal offering is supported by a full video conferencing operation which is linked in to 138 prisons throughout the UK; this has proved a popular facility with clients and barristers alike, saving travelling time in the process.

Various legal directories have commented that St Philips has ‘impressive individuals and dynamic teams’. These teams include, administrative law, ADR, arbitration (both domestic and International), banking, clinical negligence, commercial, construction, criminal, employment, family, fraud (civil and criminal), immigration, intellectual property, insolvency, personal injury, public, property, regulatory, trusts, wills and probate.

Members are involved in academic writing and chambers as a whole provides weekly seminars on matters of interest to our clients across all practice areas.

In terms of administration, chambers has 14 clerks, supervised by a chief clerk and three senior clerks, who are supported by an administrative staff of 23. In overall charge of the clerking and administration is a chief executive with many years of experience in chambers and of law firm management.

St Philips considers corporate social responsibility to be an important element of the business and has a very successful programme in place covering many charitable and community support initiatives. An example of activity includes regular participation in the Business in Community Right to Read programme, supporting and raising money for several charitable trusts, pro bono legal work, mentoring for young professionals and sitting as school governors

Chambers has both Bar Mark and Quality Mark accreditation, the former achieving 100% in a recent audit.

Types of work undertaken: St Philips’ chancery and commercial group is noted for its strengths in areas such as arbitration, ADR, banking and financial services, bankruptcy and insolvency, commercial, company law (including directors’ disqualification), construction law, real estate, intellectual property, trusts, wills and probate, professional negligence and franchising.

The public and administration law group offers expertise in local government law, education, planning and mental health issues. Barristers act for and against local authorities and other public bodies and have particular experience in criminal proceedings brought by public authorities, financial transactions, judicial review, immigration, and town and country planning issues.

The criminal group, consisting of over 50 barristers (including 10 Queen’s Counsel), is one of the largest of its kind outside London. The group offers great strength in depth and covers every aspect of the criminal process from murder and terrorism, through to white collar fraud. Many members of the group are listed as preferred counsel by the Attorney General, the Crown Prosecution Service Complex Case Work and Organised Crime Divisions, the Serious Fraud Office and key national defence firms.

The regulatory group appears on behalf of a wide range of regulatory bodies throughout the UK on matters including trading standards, environmental regulation, VAT and revenue appeals, health and safety, police powers, benefit fraud and licensing. In addition, several members sit on a variety of disciplinary bodies such as the RFU, ASA, BDO, The Sports Resolutions Disputes Panel, the GMC and the GDC, including one barrister who has been appointed as an arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Eleven members of chambers are on the Financial Services Authority (FSA) approved list of counsel.

The family law group is one of the largest in the country acting for parents, guardians ad litem, the official solicitor and local authorities. The group deals with adoption, care proceedings, residence, contact, injunctive relief, committals and financial relief on divorce.

A Court of Protection group has been launched to deal with this ever increasing area of work.

The personal injury and clinical negligence group covers all areas, from small claims through to catastrophic injuries and group actions.

The employment group covers hearings nationwide in tribunals, County Court and High Court and the EAT. Members act for claimants and respondents, public and private clients, offering advice, drafting and advocacy, and are experienced in conducting complex group claims.