The best chambers websites for free (and useful) information

One of the most significant developments in the provision of legal information online over the last few years is the extensive – free – information now being made available by chambers and individual barristers on their web sites. Their aim may be mainly to prove their expertise but also they just cannot resist making available the wonderful information which they feel (rightly) that they possess (barristers are not generally blushing violets). In other words, many of these sites spring from a mixture of marketing and altruism – with a dash of exhibitionism thrown in.

In the May/June issue, I prepared a Barristers’ Extra (see www.venables.co.uk/n0605chambers.htm) on this topic. The article can also be downloaded as a pdf file from www.venables.co.uk/n0605chambers.pdf. I picked out three chambers websites as the most impressive:

One Crown Office Row with its Human Rights Update at www.humanrights.org.uk which provides over 800 reports and commentaries on human rights issues, updated weekly
5RB (5 Raymond Buildings) at www.5rb.co.uk for over 300 case reports in media and entertainment law, and
Doughty Street Chambers at www.doughtystreet.co.uk for extensive information on Human Rights topics.

I also gave an honourable mention to Arden Chambers, 1 Chancery Lane, Hardwicke Building, 1 Hare Court, 11 Kings Bench walk and 3-4 South Square.

I used much of the same material in the e-book (with CPD) Changing Practice for Barristers produced by Nick Holmes and myself and one of the questions in the test required at the end of the course was:

“Which two chambers’ sites do you yourself find most interesting from the point of view of the resources offered and why? (They do not have to be from the ones given).”

(There was also a question about individual barristers’ web sites, which I will be reporting on in the next issue).

There were about 90 barristers who took this course and it was very interesting to see their responses. They did generally comment most on the ones I had selected (so these ones did have a head start) but here are the barristers’ “votes” (effectively, each person had two votes) and some of the comments made.

Results in simple form

The section which follows is the simplified and edited version as printed in the newsletter. The full version is set out after.

One Crown Office Row’s Human Rights Update – 31 votes.

Comprehensive and easily accessible human rights resource, updated and with articles, commentaries and some practical advice.

Interesting in the breadth of the human rights covered – an ambitious undertaking for such a large area of law.

I was impressed with the ‘Experience’ section highlighting cases in which members of Chambers had been involved in, then giving a list with links to all members.

Visually interesting, very alive and constantly updated.

Superb. It is clear and easy to follow. It allows you to pick exclusively the areas in which you are seeking updates. It gives a clear and brief precis of the case and its result. Each case is listed alphabetically, and you can search by using key words etc. The comment at the conclusion of each report is very helpful in determining the practical impact of the cases for practitioners

Doughty Street – 31 votes

Supplies fantastic Human Rights Act material.

Offers access to a helpline for solicitors – a novel idea.

Information on recent developments in human rights law together with legal articles of a more general nature.

Good mix of press comments on chambers and has email updates.

Breadth of current news presented in eye-catching easily accessible fashion.

I found it to be extremely comprehensive, offering a wide mixture of material. I particularly liked the fact the site includes press comments on chambers.

For solicitors it will prove invaluable, and for Barristers in other sets it will give you a chance to measure up.

Gives impressive yet relaxed insight into individual barristers and their achievements (particularly good photographs used), the case summaries are very detailed and the links to other sites very helpful.

5RB (5 Raymond Buildings) – 22 votes

Easy to navigate and constantly updated.

Large number of useful cases, good search engine and ease of use; amusing libel cases.

Useful case summaries in a newspaper style: easy to use. Easy access to recent leading cases on media and entertainment law.

Over 300 case reports together with judgments appended in many cases.

3-4 South Square – 13 votes

Good coverage of interesting cases in their Digest.

I liked their attempts to grapple with information delivery via newsletter type formats.

Professionally presented monthly digest newsletter of company/commercial cases.

Useful and informative. Downloading is made easy.

Hardwicke Building – 11 votes

Useful articles on different areas of law.

Excellent property case summaries; useful calculating service.

A large case database that is used as a tool by their rivals but works as great marketing.

11 Kings Bench Walk – 10 votes

Very comprehensive in its updating of employment issues.

Topical case notes and summaries provided.

Up to date topical case notes & seminar articles.

Arden Chambers – 7 votes

Housing law updates, guick and free!

The e flashes responding to recent decisions can go direct to your mailbox.

1 Hare Court – 6 votes

Offers case reports and updates on developments in family law. Provides very helpful tax tables and other calculators for ancillary relief cases (like at a glance) and links to other family law sites

Summaries excellent but concise, full details and citation given to enable further research.

1 Chancery Lane – 5 votes

Very easy to navigate. The article section was brilliantly set out to make searching the articles very easy. There was a newsletter section which I could join and keep myself updated. The briefing section was very informative and had a great deal of useful up to date content.

Useful articles and excellent newsletter from respected practitioners.

About 20 other chambers sites received one or more favourable mentions as well.

Full version

Here is the full version of the results, slightly changed to avoid anyone being recognised!

Broadly alphabetically listed for the chambers with a substantial number of “votes”.

Arden Chambers – 8 votes

Arden chambers because of eflashes;

Arden Chambers (www.ardenchambers.com – your address in the booklet needs updating) for their attempts to grapple with information delivery via newsletter type formats

Arden chambers – The eflashes on important developments and the housing law direct were of interest.

Arden Chambers: housing law updates, guick and free!

Arden chambers, the e flashes responding to recent decisions can go direct to your mailbox.

Arden Chambers

Arden Chambers for its use of e-flashes

1 Chancery Lane – 5 votes

www.1chancerylane.com This site I found very easy to navigate and find what I was looking for. The article section was brilliantly set out make searching the articles very easy. There was a newsletter section which I could join and keep my self updated. The briefing section was very informative and had a great deal of useful up to date content.

1 Chancery Lane: Nice way of sorting articles, extremely useful briefings.

www.1chancerylane.com – Useful articles and excellent newsletter from respected practitioners.

1 Chancery Lane: good, free, PI articles

1 Chancery Lane.

1 Chancery Lane because of its prof neg content re duties of care.

One Crown Office Row’s Human Right Update – 31 votes

One Crown Office Row- easy to navigate and constantly updated.

humanrights.org from 1COR because it interlinks domestic and European jurisprudence in a very neat way.

Human Rights update from 1CRO: large number of useful cases, good search engine and ease of use;

One Crown Office Row – Very good human rights coverage.

www.humanrights.org.uk – the number of cases for which commentaries are given, the practical guide to the convention and the act and ease of use of search engine

One Crown Office Row – shows impact of convention on domestic law and practical impact on practitioners.

One Crown Office Row (good on Human Rights)

www.humanrights.org.uk – ease of navigation around materials

HR Update (1 Crown Office Row) – easy to use, very good indexing of cases and comprehensive.

One Crown Office Row – the email service is something I have subscribed to since a previous internet course with you;

1 Crown Office Row – its case database is superb.

1 COR site is interesting in the breadth of the human rights covered – an ambitious undertaking for such a large area of law.

One Crown Office Row’s Human Rights Update- I was impressed with the ‘Experience’ section highlighting cases in which members of Chambers had been involved in, then giving a list with links to all members which was easily accessible.

One Crown Office Row because of its breadth of practice with the emphasis on the Human Rights Act and weekly email alerts.

1 COR – visually changing constantly, very alive and constantly updated. Doughty St. breadth of current news presented in eye-catching easily accessible fashion.

The Human Rights Update by 1 COR is superb. It is clear and easy to follow. it allows you to pick exclusively the areas in which you are seeking updates, for me children and family law, it gives a clear and brief precis of the case and its result. Each case is listed alphabetically, and you can search by using key words etc. The comment at the conclusion of each report is very helpful in determining the practical effects of a result.

1 Crown Office Row because a key area of law is dealt with.

One Crown Office row – a professional site with recognised academic contributions and easy to navigate

one crown office row, easy to follow, quick to find cases;.

one crown office row for its up to date and practical approach

Human Rights Update, as it explores the practical impact of the cases for practitioners

1 Crown Office Row for comprehensive access to human rights cases and topics assisted by search facilities

Crown Office Row which demonstrates the effect of the European Convention on domestic law and

Crown Office Row. It is extremely user friendly, and the set seems generous in dissemination of information / cases etc. Thank you for the pointer!

http://www.crownofficechambers.com is an excellent site. Well presented and has all information one would expect such as list of Barristers/specialisms with link to contact details and a newsletter/article feature providing the user with useful information and highlighting the talents of certain members of chambers.

Crown Office Row – As soon as the site is accessed the latest news is immediately visible. It has a large list of cases and articles sorted by category. It offers email alerters and has an attractive layout.

www.humanrights.org.uk (I use regularly);

1 Crown Office Row comprehensive and easily accessible human rights resource, updated and with articles, commentaries and some practical advice

1 Crown Office Row: very easy to use search facility containing links to all cases on a particular subject.

1 crown office row (human rights, updates weekly, structure of site, good search engine and it’s free;

www.humanrights.org.uk – clear and well organised, with an extensive case database

Doughty Street – 31 votes

Doughty Street Chambers – I was a pupil in the Chambers and am able to keep abreast of the work done by former colleagues;

Doughty Street – it supplies fantastic Human Rights Act material.

www.doughtystreet.co.uk offers access to a helpline for solicitors which is a novel idea

Doughty Street because of its Human Rights material and Blackstone Chambers because of the quality and nature of the work undertaken by its tenants which the site admirably reflects

Doughty Street: easy to use bulletins, links, books and interesting news items.

Also doughtystreet.co.uk: for information on recent developments in human rights law together with legal articles of a more general nature.

Doughty Street Chambers especially for articles, comments including press comment and legal news.

www.doughtystreet.co.uk – useful links as well as interesting articles.

Doughty Street – good range of human rights related material and 1 Chancery Lane because of its prof neg content re duties of care.

Doughty Street Chambers as it is a good mix of press comments on chambers and has email updates. Also very interesting to know how many support staff they have running Chambers which must add to the efficient running of chambers and the calibre of the web site

Doughty St. breadth of current news presented in eye-catching easily accessible fashion.

Doughty Street chambers – I found it to be extremely comprehensive, offering a wide mixture of material. I particularly liked the fact the site includes press comments on chambers.

Doughty Street chambers has cleverly incorporated its own chambers website with its online resource centre again on the issue of Human Rights primarily. One thing that I both liked and disliked was that it shamelessly plugged its members of chambers by showing extensive CV’s for each member. For solicitors it will prove invaluable, and for Barristers in other sets it will give you a chance to measure up your opponent. But I found its resource centre far more complicated to get around than COR’s. Its less extensive, and does not allow you to be so selective with the updates you receive. Registration is not as straightforward either, with no ability to opt out of certain legal areas. This website is fab for public relations , and great for personal information on each counsel, but the online resources fell down in their execution compared to COR’s.

Doughty Street site because of the comprehensive and up to date news pages and the effective pages providing information on the different specialist areas and the seminars on offer. This site is also well structured and easy to navigate.

Doughty Street Chambers – up to date cases and news and the Advice Line for Solicitors

Doughty Street for its human rights materials and links, which are comprehensive.

Doughty Street gives impressive yet relaxed insight into individual barristers and their achievements (particularly good photographs used), case summaries very detailed and links to other sites very helpful.

Doughty Street – good range of human rights related material

Doughty Street chambers for its topical and international coverage

Doughty Street Chambers as it has a wide range of Human Rights material including email updates

Doughty Street Chambers – good current news links.

Doughty Street – both have extensive collections of interesting articles.

Doughty Street chambers- god imagery with easy and helpful links and an advice line for solicitors

Doughty Street – Bulletins and relevant links were immediately accessible on the main page. In addition, recent developments were shown on the main page. It also held a database of human rights cases (although only up to 2002) and had a user friendly layout and design.

Doughty street chambers, because of the detail of information, not only in respect of the relevant services and barristers offered but also articles which show that the barristers have been involved in important information

Doughty street, a large case database that is used as a tool by their rivals but works as great marketing

Doughty Street, as well as legal resources such as links to other sites and updates on developments there are a series of interesting articles, comments and interviews on current issues,

Doughty Street – likewise but with emphasis on human rights;

Doughty Street – very engaging and direct in terms of promoting the personalities of individual members.

www.doughtystreet.co.uk, clear and well organised, with informative articles and summaries.

Hardwicke Building – 11 votes

Hardwicke Building – useful articles on different areas of law.

Hardwicke Building – content close to my area of practice

www.hardwick.co.uk – unaware of the site until now – I particularly like the various calculators on the site (great interaction as well as use).

Hardwicke Building – excellent property case summaries and a useful calculating service.

Hardwicke

www.hardwicke.co.uk – very slick site providing good source of cases and articles (could be updated more often!).

Hardwicke Building because I deal with property law.

Hardwicke Building : the property section is easy to digest and up to date with relevant cases and developments. The online calculations are of real practical use.

hardwicke Building because of the detail of information, not only in respect of the relevant services and barristers offered but also articles which show that the barristers have been involved in important information

Hardwicke a large case database that is used as a tool by their rivals but works as great marketing

Hardwicke – but watch out for 33 Bedford Row’s new material in 2007!

1 Hare Court – 6 votes

www.1hc.com – I specialise in family law and this site offers case reports and updates on developments in family law often from the barristers involved in the very cases being considered. It also provides very helpful tax tables and other calculators for ancillary relief cases (like at a glance) and links to other family law sites

1 Hare Court because I have several friends getting divorced at the moment!

1 Hare Court; case summaries excellent but concise, full details and citation given to enable further research.

1 Hare Court to balance things up for the reasons you give: case reports and family law.

Hare court as family law n links to other family law sites…I am family law practitioner

1 Hare Court has the particularly useful calculator section (I use it frequently!)

11 Kings Bench Walk – 10 votes

11 KBW: the site and format are easy to use and you can register to be sent a newsletter;

11kbw because it is very comprehensive in its updating of employment issues

11 KBW takes a different approach with online access to articles written by different members. More in depth but narrower subjects therefore

11kbw.com: for the interesting selection of “Articles”.

11 KBW

www.11kbw.com – because they cover a wide range of topics within their respective fields.

www.11kbw.com because of the topical case notes and summaries provided.

11KBW has more articles; both sites deal with my areas of practice

11kbw – relevant to practise areas – content well managed

11 KBW – up to date topical case notes & seminar articles;

5 Raymond Buildings – 22 votes

5 Raymond Buildings – easy to navigate and constantly updated.

5RB – large number of useful cases, good search engine and ease of use;

5 Raymond Buildings (amusing libel cases)

5 Raymond Buildings – copies of judgements very helpfully appended.

5 Raymond Buildings (good libel reports)

www.5rb.co.uk I found this site interesting from the point of view of resources because it had up to date content, it had a newsletter section which I could join to keep my self updated, it had a lot of information on it i.e. over 300 cases reported and I found it easy to find what I was looking for.

5RB – Case Finder very good and the articles although limited in number are interesting and topical.

5RB – useful case summaries in a newspaper style easy to use format.

I really liked 5 Raymond Buildings’ site for the ‘Barristers’ section and ‘Clerks’ section particularly due to the photographs which made it more personal and the level of detail in each individual profile was very impressive with more links to their experience. This was easy to access and use.

5 Raymond Buildings Site because of the breadth of the resources and links on offer and the easily navigable nature of the site.

5 Raymond Buildings because of interest of contents,

5 RB links/attachments to judgments

five Raymond buildings; simple

http://www.5rb.co.uk for the extensive and interesting updates on FOI and Data Protection law

5RB – libel is always entertaining

5 Raymond Buildings – interesting articles.

5 Raymond Buildings for easy access to recent leading cases on media and entertainment law;

5 Raymond Buildings with over 300 case reports together with judgments appended in many cases.

5 Raymond buildings-eye-catching, simple and informative.

5 Raymond Buildings, which is not as user friendly but is comprehensive.

5 Raymond Buildings: very easy to use case finder service with good case summaries and separate link to judgments

5 Raymond Buildings (recent cases, in depth analysis, current and cases attached

5RB for its use of imagery: the newspaper-style format fits in well with the chambers’ area of expertise.

3-4 South Square – 13 votes

3-4 South Square: It is useful to be able to download a PDF file of the information to print off and read on the move

3/4 South Square – resources most relevant to my field.

3-4 South Square – helpful digest

3-4 South Square (useful insolvency material)

3-4 South Square, for good coverage of interesting cases in their Digest

3-4 South Square (www.southsquare.com) for their attempts to grapple with information delivery via newsletter type formats

3-4 South Square: insolvency updates;

http://www.southsquare.com/ for the professionally presented monthly digest newsletter of company/commercial cases;

3/4 South Square – my area of work;

www.southsquare.com and

3-4 South Square because of the newsletter – particularly as the back issues are available

3-4 South Square again is useful and informative. Downloading from the site is made easy.

www.southsquare.com because of the monthly newsletter setting out commercial law developments.

ADR Chambers

www.adrchambers.co.uk (online/virtual chambers).

2 Bedford Row

www.2bedfordrow.co.uk (clear format).

Blackstone Chambers

Blackstone Chambers because of the quality and nature of the work undertaken by its tenants which the site admirably reflects.

Brick Court Chambers

Brick Court Chambers for litigation news which is up to date

Cloisters

Cloisters has good commentary and info on most recent and ongoing employment cases.

Three Dr Johnson’s Buildings

3 DJB – a small, “home grown” site with useful links. Contact information is easily accessible. Members articles are interesting and pertinent.

Farrar’s Buildging

Farrar’s Building contains a broad range of useful material relevant to my area of practice.

Fountain Court

Fountain Court for its Commercial Court Procedure updates

Fountain Court for Commercial Court procedure updates.

Garden Court Chambers

www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk is a good website because it allows a browser quick and direct online access to the main statutes in various areas of law.

www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk (the new address, which I use for immigration law bulletins)

Guildford Chambers

http://www.guildfordbarristers.com is well presented and has all information one would expect such as list of Barristers/specialisms with link to contact details. And a newsletter/article feature providing the user with useful information and highlighting the talents of certain members of chambers.

2 Hare Court

2 Hare Court (Chambers of D Waters QC); easy to navigate; strong imagery; impressive and clear information

Keating Chambers

Keating Chambers has a good range of resources on construction law.

keatingchambers.com where I can benefit hugely from the massive effort made by other members of chambers to ensure that our website is one of the best in the profession.

Keating chambers: review of recent cases and case law update, regularly updated, very accurate and easily accessed.