Interview with: Chris Henley KC, Head of Chambers

Chris Henley KC explains how Mountford Chambers is fast becoming a new powerhouse of the London Bar

 

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Mountford Chambers from your competitors?

When we rebranded as Mountford Chambers we were determined to do things very differently. We had been through significant changes during 2020, moving to fantastic new premises, recruiting a new senior clerk to lead the team, but underpinning everything is a much more inclusive ethos, a philosophy where success is collective, and everyone is supported to achieve their professional ambitions. If we move forward together, we will move further and faster. So much new activity is going on right across chambers. Traditional chambers can get stuck, drift complacently into cliques and hierarchies; we will not do that. We have also achieved gender parity both amongst the barristers but also with the employed staff. That is unlikely to be a coincidence.

The consequence of this is a positive energy and brilliant relationships with solicitors who know they will get consistently excellence service. If you feel properly part of a team, everything changes

 

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

The momentum is definitely in the direction financial and business crime, civil recovery of fraudulently obtained assets, and linked advisory work. Solicitors and their white collar clients increasingly come to us for early strategic advice, and assistance, to manage critical situations early and effectively. Cyber-crime and crypto-fraud is a fast growing area. Regulation generally has been producing a rapidly increasing volume of work for our juniors, which is providing excellent and challenging opportunities early in their careers. There has also been a significant growth in Public Inquiry work which is only going to continue. We have a very dynamic team, enthusiastic to make the most of the opportunities Ben Heaviside, our senior clerk, is opening up for them.

 

What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

We have developed very close, positive relationships with our solicitor clients. We have also prioritised strengthening the relationships between all the barristers across chambers, which is really fundamental to our success. The best way I can describe it is that chambers now acts, effectively, as a legal knowledge bank, available to be tapped into both internally and externally. Our solicitors know that they can come to any of us for advice and the whole team will, if necessary, be available to provide the answer. Some of our most recent members have had a fascinating journey to chambers, spending time in organisations, like Appeal, or Spotlight on Corruption, in the City, in government, or the voluntary sector, or in one case as a court clerk, and so have a very wide range of expertise, which is shared when required. This builds enduring relationships with our clients and strengthens the bonds between us. It makes the whole better and engenders pride and excellence in what we are doing.

Chambers occupies a beautiful townhouse in Ely Place, with a stunning courtyard at the back, The location could not be better. Something we have encouraged is for external partner organisations to take advantage of the spaces we have, to use them for their own events. Organisations like WICL, Liberty, the Schools Consent Project, Aggrieved, the Sikh Lawyers Association, and Transform Justice are just some of the organisations we have offered our spaces to.

As we have evolved, with so much, going on, we now have a full-time comms and marketing manager which has transformed our communication and visibility in the markets where we are increasing our presence.

I have stressed the ‘we’ in my answer because Mountford is a team. The emphasis on the ‘team’ nature of chambers has brought us, and our clients, the biggest long-term benefits.

 

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Completely. The courtroom and tribunals still revolve around people but the evidence and increasingly, the interaction, is digital. Several members are building an international client base, which could only happen supported by modern technology, to share data and communicate effectively. Bespoke seminars and training sessions can now happen at times most convenient to our clients

We’re seeing huge volumes of electronic material: encrypted data, social media dumps, digital forensics. Without the right systems, it would be chaos. So yes, we’ve invested in tools and processes to handle it efficiently.

Remote and hybrid hearings have become second nature, and we’ve built secure, streamlined systems for virtual engagement that retain a personal touch. Technology hasn’t diluted the human relationship, it’s made it more accessible.

Our members are increasingly engaged in technology-driven crime and regulation, from cryptocurrency to AI-facilitated fraud. We advise both defensively (how to mitigate risk) and offensively (how to navigate evidence when it arises). These are frontiers that didn’t exist a decade ago.

So yes, technology is not replacing the barrister’s craft, it’s amplifying it and just expanding what “advocacy” means in 2025.

 

Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

Chambers has been participated in a series of roundtables at client solicitor firms, leading discussions with their partner clients, professionals and businesses, who need to keep expert advice and guidance about areas of law, and regulation which are constantly evolving and becoming ever more complex. By bringing our expertise to the table, it adds credibility and value to our client solicitors’ relationships with their key clients. It’s something we are very happy to do, as it strengthens our relationships with them generally as a chambers but also on an individual basis. It also means that, if the need ever arises, a relationship is in place which will allow the solicitor to pick up the phone to ‘sense check’ legal or strategic advice they might be giving their client.

 

Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms and chambers – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

 Yes absolutely. Clients today want more than representation, they want partnership. The radical changes in the speed and ability to communicate has encouraged much closer working. Our clients lean on us to a greater extent than ever before. This brings many new opportunities. We aim to be all about quality of service, excellence in advice and responsiveness. Many of our juniors have spent time in client firms and regulatory body organisations. This is great for them in terms of experience and network building, at a crucial phase in their careers. Similarly, more senior members are contacted all the time for assistance with strategic issues, or specific expertise on issues which need an immediate response. I want Mountford to be synonymous with excellence, consistency and responsiveness.

We have come a very long way in the last three years, exceeding all the targets we set ourselves. Three years from now, I see Mountford as the set for cases that sit at the intersection of crime, regulation, and business risk, as well as enhancing our position as a top tier set for all areas of serious crime. We’ll be more tech-driven, to enhance our offer. We’ll continue to invest in people, in training, in diversity, attracting the very best barristers, who share our ambition and ethos. Clients today want counsel who can see the storm before it comes, and work in partnership to manage the multiplicity of issues that every case involves. That’s the role we’ll keep playing. Approachable, strategic, and shoulder-to-shoulder.