The Northern Chancery Bar Association was formed in July 1987. Vice-Chancellor Blackett-Ord was approaching retirement and it was perceived that this would lead to important changes in the manning and administration of the Chancery Courts in the North of England.

As the founder members (Derek Mallard, Peter Keenan and John Fryer-Spedding) noted in their initial invitation to members, the response was that Chancery practitioners in the North of England should have their own association to guard and advance their particular interests. Although now, as then, those interests are often the same as those of the national Chancery Bar Association they also, on many important occasions, differ, because of our local circumstances and needs.

The objects of the Association are to promote the administration of justice and the interests of professional practice in the field of Chancery law in the North of England. Members of the association are members of the Bar practising in the North of England principally in the field of Chancery law. Our members practise principally (but not exclusively) from the four main commercial centres in the North of England: Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle.

Membership is currently running at 115 members in 13 sets of chambers. Members work ranges across all aspects of Chancery and commercial practice including: company law; corporate and individual insolvency; patents and intellectual property; property; commercial and residential landlord and tenant; housing; environmental law; trusts and probate; contracts and torts. Our clients are multi-national and national corporations; government and non-governmental bodies; local authorities and individuals. As well as appearing in the full range of courts and tribunals, our members embrace other forms of dispute resolution and many of our members are arbitrators and accredited mediators.

Our association enjoys close relations with the Chancery judges and with the Court staff and provides an important forum for promoting effective practice in the Chancery courts. We also enjoy close associations with other specialist Bar associations and with local law societies.

The growth of the Northern Chancery Bar Association over the last 20 years has reflected the growth in confidence and importance of Chancery work as a regional specialism. Our members have access to some of the most highly skilled specialist judges sitting in state-of- the- art court facilities not enjoyed by any other part of the country.