Arden Chambers—4-5 Gray’s Inn Square

Arden Chambers has announced that it will merge with public, planning and property law set 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square as of 1 October 2018.

The merger will see 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square take on 26 members from Arden Chambers, and will now comprise six silks and 50 juniors. Tim Straker QC and Satinder Hunjan QC will continue in their roles as joint heads of chambers.

The new set, which will initially be known as 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square incorporating Arden Chambers, will be based at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square. The set will continue to provide specialist expertise on housing matters, as well as property, local government and public law.

Tim commented: ‘We are absolutely delighted to welcome our new members, who bring strong and complementary reputations in their respective fields to enhance our existing practice base.

‘Chambers recognises that it needs to build a strong platform for the future, and this move is the first step on that journey. It also presages our determination to pursue an ambitious recruitment strategy. Today’s announcement consolidates our pre-eminence in local government, housing, planning and property, as well as in wider public law, including electoral law, at a time of increased scrutiny and challenge in these fields.’

Satinder added: ‘Together, we will be better placed to provide valuable support to our clients and colleagues, and I look forward to playing my part in assisting chambers leverage the benefits of this new combination. Chambers has a strong international arbitration group, a specialist mediation team, significant commercial experience, and an acknowledged track record in sports law, all of which will be key parts of our push for growth.’

Former head of chambers at Arden, Andrew Dymond, said: ‘We’ve moved in and we have been made immediately very welcome. We are looking forward to enjoying the benefits of being co-located with a much wider pool of practitioners, together with a strong and highly focused professional support team.’

Vicky Thompson, chief executive of the combined set said: ‘We have restructured Chambers leadership, renewed our clerking and support teams and remodeled the Chambers environment, this move marks a wonderful new beginning for 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square. I am very proud of Chambers in their commitment to such a robust strategic overhaul.’