We’re delighted to bring you the fifth edition of GRL Legal’s #ChambersInsider. Once again, the Bar moves at pace. What stands out today is a quiet but powerful shift across Chambers: a move from reactive management to deliberate, structured planning.
Chambers are thinking more commercially, acting sooner, and taking greater care when it comes to talent, structure, and long-term competitiveness. It feels more mature, measured and necessary and is now being led by an increasing volume of homegrown talent. For a profession built on resilience and rigour, it is encouraging to see strategy now working hand-in-hand with heritage.
In this month’s #ChambersInsider:
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GRL’s Market Insights: A look at salary realities and the living London wage, attracting top talent, the rise of international working, and maximising your pension allowances.
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#OfftheRecord: Double Feature: Paul Martenstyn, Co-Founder of Prosperant, reflects on three decades at the centre of the legal market and shares his perspective on its global evolution, and Tim Coulson, CEO of Cornwall Street Barristers, explores recent structural changes at the Bar, with particular focus on the introduction of barrister apprenticeships.
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Inside the Bar: New Director General at the Bar Standards Board, The Harman Review continues, legal events calendar
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#GRLrecruits: Recent appointments and current opportunities across leading Sets
GRL’s Market Insights
Salary Reality Check: The London Living Wage Effect
The increase in the London Living Wage continues to have a significant impact across Chambers structures. An entry-level position, traditionally a junior clerking role starting at around £30,784 is no longer contentious in itself; the challenge is the compression that follows.
Starter salaries have risen, meaning that mid-range roles have also had to move. Where Chambers have not adjusted bands accordingly, roles can quickly appear under-positioned, particularly when compared with opportunities outside the Bar.
This is also creating pressure across the wider jobs market. Many organisations are reducing or removing junior roles, with entry-level positions increasingly replaced by automation, offshoring, or the removal of training programmes.
Chambers are currently in a different position. Not all these roles are easily automated, and there is a clear need for people who can engage confidently with lawyers and clients from day one. As starting salaries rise, many Chambers are broadening their search beyond traditional junior pipelines and attracting candidates with prior experience or greater maturity.
Clarity around pay is now absolutely critical. Adverts without salary banding are more likely to be overlooked, and assumptions are often made, rarely in the employer’s favour. Regular salary benchmarking is essential to remain competitive.
Why Good Roles Are Struggling to Attract the Right Candidates
A shortfall in applications is rarely about a lack of interest in Chambers. More often, it reflects how a role is positioned in a market where strong candidates have choices and expectations have moved on.
The same issues arise repeatedly:
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Salary expectations lag the market – Many Chambers remain anchored to historic benchmarks, despite rapid movement in candidate expectations – particularly at the senior end.
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Roles are framed transactionally, not strategically – Adverts focus on duties and requirements but offer little insight into purpose, impact, or contribution.
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Detail outweighs identity – Lengthy criteria lists dilute the personality and ethos of Chambers, making roles feel interchangeable.
Where these factors combine, both the volume and calibre of applications suffer.
We touched on job adverts in Edition 2 of #ChambersInsider, and it remains one of the most common areas where clients seek our advice when applications fall short. Increasingly, as Chambers markets and clients diversify, we place outstanding people from outside the Bar with the right transferable skills.
Practical adjustments include:
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Sense-checking salary bands against current market data, “salary benchmarking”
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Tailoring messaging to the audience
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Rebalancing adverts towards clarity, purpose, and fit rather than excessive detail
All of this is playing out in a buoyant market. Confidence has returned, competition has intensified, and at the senior end in particular, the ability to deliver on business development is a decisive factor.
In this environment, Chambers that adapt their salary positioning and messaging are best placed to attract stronger candidates.
International Work: What Sets Are Learning Fast
International work – particularly in the Middle East (even with the ongoing situation) is firmly on the agenda for many Chambers. Dubai has long since been a hub, but the focus is clearly shifting. The UAE, and increasingly Abu Dhabi, continues to attract interest across arbitration, fraud, sanctions, criminal, tech, AI and crypto-related work – there has been a marked raising of interest from Chambers in these regions.
What comes through clearly from recent interview conversations is that expansion is rarely straightforward. The practical barriers are often underestimated. Regulatory complexity and infrastructure mean that opening a Chambers outright in the region is far more difficult than many expect. For many, it remains cleaner to run Middle East work from the UK, supported by regular travel.
That said, credibility and relationships are decisive. As Sam Carter highlighted in our recent interview, international strategies are long-term and trust-led. Markets are prioritised based on relationships, competition and the level of investment a Chambers is prepared to make – time, money and internal support. Without sustained presence, momentum is quickly lost.
There is also growing recognition that having someone on the ground can provide a meaningful edge. While some Sets succeed without a physical base, local presence signals commitment and improves accessibility in a relationship-driven market. Sets are increasingly adding door tenants, international lawyers, arbitrators and those who can add to and improve reach. This is highly likely to intensify.
The message from those doing it: international success is built on patience, credibility and precision – not quick wins.
Pension Allowances: Are you making the most of them?
In partnership with Dom Woodbridge, a leading wealth management consultant with extensive experience working in Chambers.
With the end of the 25 tax year and the start of 26, I received a flurry of questions around pension contributions and tax relief.
Pension contributions remain one of the most effective ways to reduce an income tax bill, particularly for those paying 40% or 45% tax. However, many people under-utilise the allowances available to them, often without realising.
Pension arrangements can vary significantly between Chambers. While some make generous contributions, many base payments on qualifying earnings only (currently income between £6,240 and £50,270), with bonuses often excluded. For those earning well above these limits, pension savings may not reflect career earnings unless additional steps are taken.
It’s also important to understand how tax relief is applied:
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Salary sacrifice contributions are made by the employer before tax, and no further action is usually required.
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Under relief at source, only basic rate tax relief (20%) is applied automatically. Anyone earning above £50,270 must reclaim additional relief via their self-assessment tax return – something that is frequently missed.
Finally, while the recent Budget announced changes to National Insurance savings on salary sacrifice from 2029, there have been no changes to income tax relief on pension contributions, despite some confusion.
Comments by Dom Woodbridge, Clearwater Wealth Management.
#OfftheRecord
We’re pleased to continue our interview series, where we speak with individuals shaping the direction of the legal profession. Over the last few weeks, Nick Rees has spoken with two senior figures offering distinct perspectives on how the Bar and wider legal market are evolving.
He first sits down with Paul Martenstyn, Co-Founder of Prosperant LLP, who reflects on three decades at the heart of the legal market. Paul shares candid insights on career development, leadership at the Bar, and the structural changes shaping Chambers and law firms, alongside the qualities required to lead effectively in an increasingly complex environment.
Nick also speaks with Tim Coulson, CEO of Cornwall Street Barristers, to explore one of the most significant recent developments at the Bar: the introduction of Barrister apprenticeships. Drawing on his experience both in Chambers and as Chair of the Trailblazer Group, Tim outlines how this new pathway is being developed, what it means in practice, and why it could play a critical role in widening access, strengthening regional practice, and supporting the long-term sustainability of the profession.
Together, these conversations offer a clear view of a profession balancing tradition with the need to adapt – whether through leadership, structure, or new routes into practice.
Read the full #OfftheRecord interviews here.
Ed ran the London Marathon
We’re incredibly proud to have supported our colleague Ed Rees as he completed the London Marathon a few weeks back.
Ed ran in support of his daughter Lily and the charity CPotential – a cause that is deeply personal to his family and one that delivers genuinely life-changing work. The commitment, discipline, and determination he brought to this challenge say a great deal about the person he is, both inside and outside of work.
An outstanding achievement, and one we’re all proud to have stood behind. If you’d still like to support his fundraising efforts, you can do so here: https://tinyurl.com/ytz5xnay
Inside the Bar
New Director General Appointed at the The Bar Standards Board
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has appointed Phillip Golding as its new Director General, with his tenure beginning on 1 July.
Phil joins from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, where he has served as Chief Executive since October 2022. Prior to that, he was Chief Executive of the Law Commission of England and Wales and has held senior roles within the Ministry of Justice UK and HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS). He has also served as a magistrate in Kent.
He succeeds Mark Neale, with Steve Haines having covered the role on an interim basis.
Phil commented: “I am delighted to be returning to the legal sector, where I have spent the majority of my career. I look forward to supporting and helping the Bar Standards Board to be an effective and efficient regulator that delivers in the public interest. I am keen to prioritise building strong relationships with our stakeholders at what is an important time for the legal sector.”
The Harman Review: What Comes Next
Following the Harman Review, Chambers are now waiting for clarity on how its recommendations will be implemented in practice. While there is broad support for the direction of travel, many are understandably hesitant to act without clearer guidance.
The word is that further detail is expected shortly from the committee overseeing next steps, including more practical direction on what will be required of Chambers. This is likely to focus on implementation rather than principle.
In the meantime, many Chambers remain on tenterhooks – keen to prepare, but cautious about moving too early until expectations are clearly set
#GRLrecruits: Current Opportunities
Your next career move could be just a click away. Here are our hand-picked positions with Leading Barristers’ Chambers:
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Business Development Manager – International Expert Advisory & Consultancy Business
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Practice Manager – Tier 1 Multi-Disciplinary Chambers
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Practice Manager – Tier 1 Commercial Chambers
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Practice Director – Tier 1 Criminal Chambers
We’re proud to have recently completed several significant placements across the legal sector. Our recent successful processes include:
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Practice Director – Leading Criminal Chambers
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Senior Practice Manager – Leading Multi-Disciplinary Chambers
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Senior Practice Manager – Leading Commercial Chambers
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Director of Clerking – Leading Civil Chambers
Recent Articles
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Nick Rees, Paul Reece, Matt Curness
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