The Legal 500

Staff at this well-established and progressive set demonstrate a genuine commitment to providing a client-focused, quality service. Zenith Chambers provides substantial expertise across a wide spectrum of specialist areas, with barristers operating within five core practice groups: Chancery, commercial and property; crime; family; housing and personal injury. In early 2010, it was the first set on the North Eastern circuit to appoint a Chief Executive. The direction and leadership of chambers has shifted over the last 12 months, with Zenith firmly establishing itself as one of the major civil and commercial sets on the North Eastern circuit and the one to watch for the future. They celebrated their ten year anniversary in 2011 and were also awarded the Bar Mark.

The set: Within the five core practice groups operate a number of dedicated sub-groups, enabling Zenith to adopt a highly focused and informed approach to its delivery of expert advice and advocacy. The more unusual of their specialist sub-groups includes court martial, adult care and construction and engineering. Others include employment, family finance, children and industrial disease.

Chambers has expanded by 25% in the last year and now has over 85 barristers, many of whom hold judicial appointments, dual qualifications or are trained arbitrators and mediators. Barristers develop strong client relationships through good communication and quality legal advice and advocacy to ensure that they are truly regarded as an essential part of the client’s legal team.

Zenith has the benefit of having three senior clerks who oversee the clerking in the areas of family, crime and civil law. This enables them and their team to provide an in-depth knowledge led clerking service to both clients and barristers.

Chambers excels in the area of CPD training, holding around 100 seminars a year (SRA accredited), including large-scale conferences which attract high-profile speakers. Clients value this resource which allows them to keep abreast of key legal decisions and legislative changes.

Types of work undertaken: Chancery, commercial and property: The large, versatile team delivers robust legal representation which recognises commercial realities. It applies business acumen to the work it does. Work done by the team includes: construction; engineering; commercial litigation; planning; professional negligence; property disputes (including ToLATA); tax; trusts, wills, estate and tax planning.

Crime: Led by Julian Goose QC, the large team comprises a number of gifted and experienced practitioners as well as a large number of successful, hard working junior counsel. Expertise ranges from the most serious, complex and high-profile criminal cases (most recently the high-profile case involving the attempted murder of the Bosnian war criminal Radislav Krstic whilst in custody); through to criminal matters dealt in the Magistrates’ Court. Team members undertake both prosecution and defence work in relatively equal proportions. Areas of expertise includes: murder, manslaughter and violent crimes; sexual offences; drug offences; major fraud; Proceeds of Crime Act and regulatory offences.

Family: Home to some of the most talented and approachable family practitioners on the North Eastern circuit, the team operates three sub-groups: family finance, children and (launched recently) adult care, thereby providing extensive expertise under one roof. Barristers in the family finance specialist group frequently represent high-net-worth clients, some of whom have appeared in the Sunday Times Rich List. The team has a proven track record in handling children law matters, which has developed following years of providing consistent quality advice and representation. Particular strengths lay in the areas of: ancillary relief; civil partnerships and dissolution; forced marriages; care proceedings; domestic violence and harassment; psychological issues and international child cases and child abduction.

Housing: Chambers is widely recognised as pre-eminent in this field, being home to over 15 members with experience in acting for both public and private landlords as well as tenants, applicants and other occupiers of housing. The team provides comprehensive advice, drafting and advocacy services and is instructed by solicitors, local authorities, housing associations, law centres and other advice agencies.

Personal injury: With over 25 barristers in the team, Zenith provides a comprehensive selection who handle all aspects of personal injury work. Senior members of the team specialise in catastrophic injury claims, particularly spinal and brain injury cases. Several barristers are authors and editors of leading legal publications. Particular areas of expertise include: fatal accidents; fraudulent claims; industrial disease; limitation; HAYS; occupational asthma and WRULD.