Our Chambers in Winckley Square were founded in 1983 as the first set of independent Chambers in Preston.
From these premises we have over the years provided an effective and professional service to clients throughout Lancashire and Cumbria in each of our three main areas of practice: family, criminal and civil. Chambers boasts some of the leading advocates on the Northern Circuit and has been involved in many of the high profile cases on Circuit in recent years.
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Six former members of Chambers have been elevated to the Judiciary. His Honour John Appleton was appointed to the Circuit Bench in 1992 and was the designated Civil Judge in Preston prior to his retirement in 2011.
Her Honour Barbara Watson was the Designated Family Judge for Lancashire and prior to her retirement held the honour of being the Recorder of Burnley and was a permanent Section 9 judge, dealing exclusively with the most serious of public law family cases. His Honour Stephen Dodds, our former Head of Chambers, retired after sitting on family cases at Liverpool County Court. His Honour Simon Newell remained in Lancashire and sat full time in both Preston and Burnley Crown Courts prior to his retirement in 2020. Daren Guite was appointed as a District Judge in 2017 and then a Circuit Judge sitting on family cases in August 2022.
In more recent times His Honour Judge Archer was appointed to the Circuit Bench in August 2021 and sits in Preston and Carlisle Crown Courts. Chambers continue to see its members take part-time Judicial appointments with both Peter Anderson sitting as a Recorder and Emma-Barron Eaves sitting as a Deputy District Judge in the County Courts.
We offer excellent client care and adhere to the Bar Council Code of Conduct and Practice Management Standards in dealings with clients.
Our members are supported by a clerking team with vast experience and broad knowledge of the work which we undertake and we have been awarded Quality Mark status by the Legal Services Commission.
15 Winckley Square is committed to continuing education and training, both of its own members and professional clients, offering a programme of accredited lectures and seminars in Lancashire and Cumbria.
All of our members are practising barristers and are sole practitioners, registered with the Bar Standards Board of England & Wales. They are governed by the Code of Conduct of the Bar of England and Wales (available on the BSB website). All members have professional liability insurance provided by the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund.
Chambers and its members are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in relation to Data Protection. Details of Chambers Data Protection and Privacy Policies can be found on the ‘Our Services’ page.