Wentworth Chambers is a

barristers' chambers In law, a barrister's chambers or barristers' chambers are the rooms used by a barrister or a group of barristers. The singular refers to the use by a sole practitioner whereas the plural refers to a group of barristers who, while acting as sol ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia. The chambers was established in 1957 and now comprises 13 sets of autonomous barrister's chambers, the NSW Bar Association and two Supreme Court of New South Wales courts.

History

On 22 April 1952, New South Wales Cabinet approved the purchase of land located at 180 Phillip Street Sydney by the

New South Wales Bar Association The New South Wales Bar Association is a professional body of lawyers responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The body administers the bar examination in accordance with the Legal Profe ...

in order to erect a 13-storey building. The building was intended to house two courts, judges chambers, barristers offices, and the staff of the Departments of the Attorney General and of Justice. Under the arrangement, the New South Wales Bar Association was to form a company to acquire the land, with only practicing members of the Bar being entitled to hold shares. Counsels Chambers Limited was subsequently formed with Sir Garfield Barwick QC as its chairman. The costs of the project were reported to be £750,000. Wentworth Chambers was officially opened on 20 August 1957. The 15-storey building was named after William Charles Wentworth. Adjoining Wentworth Chambers at 174 Phillip Street stands Selborne Chambers which was occupied by barristers from October 1963. The Selborne Chambers stands at a site of the building erected in 1883 and then named “Selborne Chambers” in honour of Roundell Palmer, 1st Earl of Selborne who as Lord Chancellor. Signifying its connection with the English Bar, Wentworth Chambers was gifted with relics and replica arms of the four English Inns of Court –

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

, Inner Temple, Middle Temple and Gray's Inn. Wentworth Chambers has been continually occupied by barristers since 1957, including those subsequently appointed as Justices of the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises Original jurisdiction, original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Constitution of Australia, Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established fol ...

Federal Court of Australia The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indic ...

and Supreme Court of New South Wales. Members of Wentworth Chambers have included , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 009NSW Judicial Scholarship 9. and .

Present

Today Wentworth Chambers comprises 13 sets of autonomous barrister's chambers, some of which have joined with chambers in the adjoining Selborne Chambers building. Level 1 of the chambers is occupied by the Supreme Court of New South Wales and contains two Court Rooms and Judge's Chambers.Supreme Court of New South Wales http://www.supremecourt.justice.nsw.gov.au/Pages/sco2_contactus/SCO2_court_locations.aspx The NSW Bar Association and the Library for the NSW Bar Association continue to occupy the lowest 2 levels of the building. The building continues to be owned by practising barristers through Counsel's Chambers Limited.

References

{{reflist Barristers' chambers Companies based in Sydney