Northern lights

The Northern circuit is widely held to be the strongest '“ and is certainly the largest '“ outside of London. Beginning in Carlisle on the Scottish border, travelling southwards the circuit takes in the cities of Preston, Liverpool and Manchester, ending up in Chester at its southernmost point. The circuit enjoys a strong tradition of appointments to the High Court bench, with Sir David Maddison and Sir Gerald Barling QC among the most recent to make the grade.

Chambers in the region have played host to some outstanding practitioners in personal injury work over the years; Byrom Street Chambers' David Allan QC was named Personal Injury Silk of the Year 2007/8. Criminal work is also a strong focus '“ the murder trial of Rhys Jones is in progress in Liverpool Crown Court; a case that stands out not just for its facts, which highlight the serious problem of gang culture in the UK, but also for throwing the Very High Cost Cases debate into sharp relief. Initially delayed due to the bickering over fees, the trial is now in full swing, having eventually been allowed to proceed under the old graduated fee system.

Overhaul of the courts

Liverpool has enjoyed significant development commercially and legally over the past few years. An £8.5m refurbishment of the Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts was unveiled in June. A new family and civil court, featuring

29 court rooms and 31 consultation rooms, was opened in Liverpool's redeveloped City Square in late 2006, centralising all civil court operations in Merseyside in one location. The practical benefits are obvious; previously family and civil law cases were scattered over a number of venues in Merseyside.

But the new civil and family law complex was just the first stage of a planned overhaul of Liverpool's court system, and the legal profession has high hopes for the new purpose-built magistrates court that went out to tender in July 2007. Tom Handley, director of Exchange Chambers, says the long-awaited court is 'badly needed'. The courts are split between three buildings in Dale Street, Hatton Gardens and Victoria Street. Dale Street in particular has 'seen better times' says Handley. 'A purpose-built court will be terrific and the funding will help improve access to justice and make sure facilities are appropriate for a 21st century city.'

As for Handley's feelings about the new civil and family law centre, he expresses disappointment: 'You cannot help but compare it to its Manchester equivalent, and the shape and layout of the building just doesn't measure up.'

Manchester's pioneering Civil Justice Centre (CJC) opened its doors in March 2008, and is the biggest court complex to be built in the UK since the Royal Courts of Justice in London. The eye-catching building is now a centre for high court, chancery and commercial work in the area. Occupying a prime position in the city's new Spinningfields area, it boasts 47 court rooms, plus tribunal and hearing rooms and offices and facilities for judges. Highly unusual and bold in design, the building is completely glazed on one side and features a huge atrium and overhanging projections. Like Marmite, the design is not to everyone's taste. Some have deemed it 'spectacular', while others have likened it to 'a filing cabinet'.

Aesthetics aside, from a practitioner's point of view the CJC 'ticks every box', according to David Stockdale QC of nearby Deans Court Chambers. 'The court rooms are very large and well equipped. There are proper tables along councils' and instructing solicitors' benches for spreading documents, and tables at the front for the parties so they can look at the documents at the same time without having to balance everything on their knees.'

The public, the litigants and the professions have welcomed the building, according to Stockdale. 'Those responsible for this building '“ not just the architects but the court users' committee '“ have shown very refreshing foresight. Some might say the building is too big, in that it is not yet being used to capacity, but history has shown, I think, that new court buildings that have gone up in other cities become too small and can't cope, whereas this building in Manchester has the space and capacity to absorb much more work.'

David Anderson, development and support services manager at St Johns Buildings Chambers in Manchester, believes that the new CJC 'cements Manchester as the second legal centre nationally and the commercial centre of the north'. He does feel, however, that 'solicitors haven't quite got used to it yet, so cases have been slightly slow in coming to the North and staying here'. However, the hearings for the Redfern Inquiry are starting in the CJC. 'This is significant,' says Anderson 'as normally these inquiries would take place in London. So there is a keenness to start using the CJC as it could be. There is no other court in the country that has such great potential.'

Public funding pressures

Throughout the UK we have seen the Bar starting to become more concentrated as sets fold and members move elsewhere. A number of traditional mid-sized sets on the Northern Circuit have succumbed to the pressures of public funding work, with two long-established criminal sets collapsing recently, including Manchester's

8 King Street Chambers in July, and Liverpool-based 25 Castle Chambers in September. Peel Court Chambers '“ the set of circuit leader Richard Marks QC '“ has just announced its decision to dissolve at the end of October.

The larger sets, several of which are moving towards the increasingly popular 'super set' structure, appear to be faring somewhat better, with organic growth and block contract work helping to ensure that they survive and thrive. The credit crunch is of course pinching, but no more that anywhere else in the country.

Manchester's chambers are distributed within a loose semi-circle around the city's new Spinningfields development '“ the 'Canary Wharf of Manchester', as it has been dubbed. St John Street, slap-bang in the middle of the city's commercial centre, is home to a string of Georgian-style sets, including 80-member Deans Court Chambers, which has risen to the challenges presented by public funding issues by securing various streams of privately paying work, which have helped to negate the effect experienced by similar sets. Its members enjoy an excellent reputation for criminal work, historically playing a role both in the prosecution of Harold Shipman and in the defence of footballer Eric Cantona.

Healthy growth

St Johns Buildings, also on St John Street, has enjoyed significant expansion in the last few years. It recently merged with Chester's Whitefriars Chambers, bringing its numbers to 135 to make it the third-largest set in the country. It also has a branch in Preston. Head of chambers Michael Redfern QC is a former circuit leader, and chair of the Redfern Inquiry into body parts found at Sellafield. Jeffrey Samuels was the instructed junior representing Barry George, the man accused of murdering Jill Dando, in his recent appeal in the Old Bailey.

Seventy-member rival Kings Chambers has taken up new premises within the Spinningfields development, just behind the CJC. The set it is in the process of setting up a new public law team, due to launch shortly in preparation for the moving of the administrative courts to the CJC.

Bucking the 'super set' trend are boutique sets Byrom Street Chambers and Garden Court North Chambers, which have chosen instead to go down the 'small but beautiful' route. Byrom Street has just 12 members, but a glance at its members' CVs shows that the focus is clearly on quality. Former member LJ Leveson is now the senior presiding judge for the whole of the UK. He was instrumental in the introduction of joint settlement meetings in civil cases '“ an innovation of the Northern Bar that is now followed in various forms throughout the country. Six of the 12 leaders of the Northern Circuit came from the set, as have two past chairmen of the Bar, while four members of chambers sit as deputy high court judges.

Exchange Chambers remains one of the biggest sets in the region, housing over 50 members in its Manchester premises and around 70 in its larger branch in Liverpool's Derby Square. The set has a long history of involvement in high-profile cases dating back to the famous 'Cameo Cinema' murder in 1949; Will Waldron QC (senior) acted on the appeal in what was one of Liverpool's most famous miscarriages of justice. Joint head of chambers David Turner QC, who is recognised as one of the country's leading jury barristers, defended Robert Thompson while Richard Isaacson QC defended Jon Venables in the James Bulger murder trial, and fellow member Henry Globe QC prosecuted.

The biggest single gathering of barristers in Liverpool is to be found at 7 Harrington Street Chambers, home to 90 barristers including 11 QCs. Neil Flewitt QC has been instructed to prosecute in the Rhys Jones murder trial, while Stuart Lawson-Rogers QC sits on the defence team. Meanwhile, Anne Whyte of nearby Atlantic Chambers - another large set with over 60 barristers '“ is appointed junior counsel for the crown in the case.

New boundaries

Chester and its surrounding county were historically part of the Wales circuit, but officially became part of the Northern circuit in 2007. The severing of the 700-year-old link between Cheshire and Wales may not have gone down well with all '“ particularly those left behind in North Wales (previously the majority of its listing and administrative functions were carried out in Chester) '“ however the Northern Circuit has been quick to recognise the newcomer's potential. The merger of St Johns Buildings with Chester's Whitefriars Chambers has been 'extremely successful', according to the set's development and support services manager, David Anderson. 'We saw the potential in the Chester market,' he says. 'It's got its own court centre, and an affluent make-up of people in the surrounding areas. Plus Chester has access to North Wales.'

Chester still takes prides in its home-grown sets, which have been involved in some striking cases over the years. Take 1 Stanley Place '“ a listed Georgian building in a tree-lined square in the city. Its members were involved in the 1995 trial of Peter Moore, the serial killer who went on the rampage murdering four people after his bank manager turned him down for a loan (his next victim was to be the bank manager himself). There was also the Matthew Hardman murder case, which was a ritual killing in North Wales '“ he stabbed an old lady to death and drank her blood in the hope that it would make him immortal. Macabre stuff.

Plain talking

The Northern Circuit has enjoyed remarkable success and a high profile in some of the most significant cases in the UK. So what is it like to be a part of the country's biggest regional circuit?

Byrom Street Chambers' Chris Melton QC, who notably acted for the government in the Shipman Inquiry, thinks the Northern Circuit provides a 'fantastic working environment', which benefits from 'plain-talking'. 'Cases here get dealt with expeditiously,' he explains 'and that's partly because we all know one another. You can just get on with the job, without worrying whether people are trustworthy; you know your opponent is going to be straight.'

As for the future, Melton believes the Northern Circuit's position is strong. Although he admits his bias, he maintains that 'the Northern Circuit is probably the strongest of all the circuits. We've always been distinct,' he concludes.