Chavasse Court is a strong, established set, which has been at the heart of Merseyside's legal community for over 45 years.

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We provide an exceptional service to our clients, through high quality advice and fearless first-class advocacy. We have an established reputation as a friendly and client-focused organisation.

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We have a diligent and highly professional team of clerks and support staff, who are always on hand to ensure that we are focused on giving both the professional and lay client outstanding service.

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Chambers Announcements

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The membership of Chavasse Court Chambers fully supports the Criminal Bar Association's forthcoming days of action, no returns policy and refusal to accept new instructions. We do so because our criminal justice system is failing and its future is in jeopardy.

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Throughout the past year, the Criminal Bar Association has continued to engage regularly with the Ministry of Justice in attempts to address concerns regarding the welfare of criminal barristers and the state of the criminal justice system. Despite repeated efforts to persuade the government to honour the basic recommendations of a recent independent review into criminal legal aid by Sir Christopher Bellamy QC (which included an increase in fees under the AGFS (Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme)), the Association has been met with resistance.

 

The report further recommended the establishment of an independent Advisory Board to ensure the AGFS is regularly reviewed, so that rituals of protest over the declining real value of fees can cease. To this end, the government proposed an “engagement forum” with no power to advise on legal aid.

 

Perhaps more importantly, the issues behind the strike extend beyond fees; for the public have lost a quarter of their specialist criminal barristers over the last 5 years, with 300 walking away last year alone. Nearly 40% of the country’s most junior criminal barristers departed in one year. This alarming attrition of criminal advocates resulted in 567 trials being postponed last year for want of an available prosecution or defence barrister.

 

The members of Chavasse Court Chambers will continue to keep our professional clients fully informed as to the steps being taken to ensure a fairer criminal justice system for all.

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