Brick Court Chambers celebrates its centenary

11/02/21

This year the members and staff of Brick Court Chambers are delighted to celebrate chambers’ centenary. 

In 1921, William Jowitt, one of the pre-eminent commercial practitioners of his day and later Lord Chancellor (in the post-war Attlee government), established chambers of his own at 1 Brick Court in the Middle Temple. So was born Brick Court Chambers (renamed as such in 1990, following its expansion out of Brick Court to Devereux Court, and move in 1998 to its current home at 7-8 Essex Street).

On our 100^th birthday, we aim to celebrate chambers’ past, present and future.

To that end, Brick Court has committed itself to raising £250,000 for charity in its centenary year. The primary focus of the “Centenary Challenge” will be social mobility, with £100,000 each being raised for the Sutton Trust and IntoUniversity – charities that are working to improve the representation of under-represented groups in both higher education and in the workplace. Their work will be more important than ever in 2021.

Whilst our principal aims are deliberately wider than the legal profession, the need remains great within the legal sector too, and Brick Court will also be raising £50,000 for the Access to Justice Foundation and Advocate (formerly the Bar Pro Bono Unit).

Brick Court Chambers is extremely proud to be working with, and for, four such excellent charities, and looks forward to working with all its clients and colleagues to raise funds for them.  Further information is here.

Whilst elements of the centenary celebrations are somewhat pandemic-dependent, the centenary celebrations will also include:

• A centenary podcast series featuring former and current members of chambers in conversation, as well as programmes made jointly with the Sutton Trust and IntoUniversity; and,
• Centenary panel debates on topics of interest and importance to us all.

Finally, our history will be commemorated in a new history of chambers, penned by Charles Hollander QC, celebrating all those who have helped make Brick Court Chambers the place it is, whilst also setting Brick Court in the context of how the Bar developed in the 20^th century and the first 20 years of the 21^st.