Tooks to close

Michael Mansfield QC’s Tooks Chambers—the fiery set which defended miners during the 1980s strike and represented the family of Stephen Lawrence and family members at the Hillsborough Inquests—is to close. A statement on the website said the closure was “the direct result of government policies on legal aid…90% of our work is publicly funded”. Tooks, which has 55 tenants, will continue to accept briefs until it winds up on 11 October, and will be formally dissolved on 27 December. Mansfield is considering setting up new, cheaper offices.