Dere Street Barristers

This is one of the largest home-grown sets on the North Eastern circuit, with acknowledged expertise in family, crime, civil and employment law. Specialist sectors range from chancery and commercial law, civil motor insurance fraud, costs, wills and probate, housing, personal injury and clinical negligence, court of protection, regulatory, arbitration, and mediation.

Dere Street Barristers are a thriving multi-disciplinary set totalling more than 100 barristers including Silks and Junior Counsel. They offer specialist advocacy, advisory and drafting expertise at every level of seniority and are committed to delivering high quality legal services locally and nationally.

With dedicated and experienced civil, criminal and family clerking teams they make the process of instructing counsel simple and have a user-friendly approach to ensure that clients receive the standard of service they require.

Chambers have modern conference facilities at their staffed premises in Newcastle, Middlesbrough and York.

The set: Chambers was formed in December 2011 through the merger of York Chambers and Broad Chare Chambers in Newcastle. York Chambers was originally linked to 2 Harcourt Buildings and became independent in 1990, while Broad Chare was one of the longest established sets outside the capital. Dere Street Barristers has a growing portfolio of regional and national clients and since the merger it has expanded successfully by recruiting across all disciplines.

Chambers is committed to providing the highest quality of services in a friendly, approachable and results-focused manner. To achieve this, it operates a system of specialist practice groups which aids the exchange of knowledge, ideas and experience, and ensures that clients receive the best advice and robust advocacy from their chosen barrister. Its barristers are supported by a first-rate clerking team headed by Phil Paxton.

Staffed premises at 33 Broad Chare, Newcastle upon Tyne, Provincial House, Newcastle upon Tyne, 2 Centre Square, Middlesbrough and 14 Toft Green, York provide first-class facilities for conferences and consultations, lectures and seminars, arbitration and mediation and video-conferencing so that it can cater for clients’ bespoke requirements.

The aim of Dere Street Barristers is to make the process of instructing counsel as simple as possible with a straightforward, user-friendly approach designed to ensure clients receive the standard of service they require. The specialist clerks and staff, assisted by the latest in technology, are able to provide a comprehensive service.

Types of work undertaken: Dere Street Barristers expertise extends across all the main areas of law in the United Kingdom. Chancery and commercial law experience includes all aspects of company law, insolvency (personal and corporate), Inheritance Act matters, land law, landlord and tenant law, planning and compulsory purchase, trusts (including co-ownership and trusts of land), wills, probate and succession, commercial contractual disputes, and construction and engineering disputes. A dedicated team of property barristers has experience in issues ranging from security of tenure, unlawful eviction, homelessness, anti-social behaviour, and allocation of social housing, to disrepair and housing benefit.

Comprehensive civil law expertise includes a focus on regulatory and licensing issues, Court of Protection cases and immigration. Civil motor insurance fraud expertise for insurers and claimants includes staged accidents, organised fraud rings, fictitious accidents, phantom passenger claims and grossly exaggerated injuries.

Criminal work ranges from murders and gangland shootings, modern day slavery, sexual exploitation, serious fraud to animal and food safety cases.

With one of the largest family law teams on the North Eastern Circuit, our members provide advocacy and advice over the full range of family law disciplines and at every level of court.

Chambers has a broad range of expertise and experience with a number of practitioners appointed as Recorders, Deputy District Judges and Assistant Coroners.