A set of barristers’ chambers based in the north west is exploring opportunities to expand into London after revealing a strong year.
Exchange Chamber, which has more than 170 barristers in Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds, announced the plans after reporting strong performance from across its business at its annual general meeting.
The chambers reported a turnover of £33.1m for the 2018-19 financial year, a rise of 7.5 per cent from £30.8m reported for the previous financial year.
Chair of Exchange Chambers Bill Braithwaite QC said: “We are just exploring, we haven’t decided to do it, but we’re looking for what you might call a suitable partner.
“We’re keen on good corporate governance and management so we run as a business and we’re trying to find a partner that wants to join us and wants to be run as a progressive, modern, new ways of working type business.”
Mr Braithwaite said London was the “obvious choice” of location because it is the “centre of the commercial world” and a “hugely important legal centre”.
“We’ve gradually expanded from one office to three and broadly speaking you don’t stop looking.”
However, he maintained that Manchester will “always being the centre of our operation”.
He said: “Our biggest number of barristers are in Manchester, and Manchester is awash with good quality legal work and I don’t see that ever changing.”
Exchange Chambers’ financial performance has also meant its pupillage academy will take on six pupils in September 2020, covering crime, commercial and common law, where it previously recruited three pupils every year.
CEO at Exchange Chambers Tom Handley said: “The launch of a pupillage academy, in effect, a national centre of excellence for aspiring barristers, marks our commitment to the next generation of talent."
