Barrister partnership aims for ABS status by year end

A new barrister-led partnership offering litigation and advocacy services has unveiled plans to become an ABS in the next six months.

Artesian Law was set up earlier this year by six crime barristers and one solicitor as an SRA-regulated legal disciplinary practice. Members are individually regulated by their professional body – the Bar Standards Board and the SRA - but the business is now working on an ABS application.

The practice is “to all intents and purposes, operating as a chambers,” according to Jonathan Rose (pictured), but setting up first as an LDP and later as an ABS is intended to give the organisation the opportunity to diversify.

The LDP structure was a “platform for future developments”, Rose told Solicitors Journal, which allowed the practice to negotiate directly with solicitors and was a more effective business management structure than chambers.

“Chambers are an enjoyable, collegiate environment, but getting barristers to agree on a common strategy is like herding cats”, Rose continued, saying that the LDP allowed for more effective decision making, including the possibility to exclude partners reluctant to go forward in the same direction as the majority.

Driven by advocacy

But Rose said the practice was still “driven by advocacy” and that the main objective remained to offer general advocacy services – “whether before professional bodies or tribunals” – to professional clients.

While crime is expected to remain the core of the practice, Rose said they would be looking to expand in employment law and deal with other related work.

The more visible side of the practice’s approach to the new legal order is its reliance on cloud technology and the move away from chambers to a small administrative office.

Instead of having to bear the cost of a 6,000 sq feet building – “which was mostly empty during the day”, Rose said – Artesian barristers work from home while their office manager ensures that all files delivered on paper are scanned and saved electronically on the cloud.

“We don’t even have to drop into the office to collect a brief,” Rose said. “Everything is on the cloud and can be accessed from anywhere. I have a hearing tomorrow and have downloaded the five lever-arch files on my iPad”.

Officially launched in January, Artesian Law has now recruited its first silk, Bryan Cox QC, a tenant at New Park Court Chambers, in Leeds, as an associate member who will give the practice access to senior expertise.

Fixed fees

The approach will be reminiscent of Riverview Chambers but Artesian are not ostensibly marketing themselves as a fixed-fee operation.

“There is room for fixed fees with smaller cases,” Rose said, “and it can be advantageous for us to say to solicitors that we can deal with these on a fixed-fee basis, which can be more cost effective for them.”

It nonetheless suggests that some members of the Bar are looking to take advantage of the Legal Services Act to break away from the traditional chambers model.

Artesian, however, is focusing on crime, including serious fraud but also health and safety offences, which could make it a different business proposition against the backdrop of legal aid cuts.

Other moves in the sector could also indicate that the whole way in which advocacy services are sold could be changing.

A small group of barristers launched Fulcrum Chambers last year, offering specialist advocacy services in the area of bribery and corruption.

Although Fulcrum is operating as an LDP, some of its barrister members – there is also one solicitor – have remained tenants with their original set.

And earlier this week business consultant Hatice Suvari and solicitor John Esplen launched Red Bar Law, promising to cut barrister fees by 30 per cent.

Artesian’s six barrister founding members - Stephen Mejzner, Jonathan Rose, Daniel Jones, Tarquin McCalla, Dominic Thomas and Michael Neofytou - were previously at Charter Chambers and teamed up with criminal defence solicitor James Nicholls.

All seven are partners, with Nicholls’ involvement allowing the business to be regulated by the SRA as an LDP.