ABOUT US
1 High Pavement Chambers is a leading criminal law set on the Midlands Circuit and home to barristers who are passionate about criminal advocacy.
We specialise in criminal prosecution and defence work.
Crown Prosecution
We enjoy an excellent working relationship with the East Midlands branch of the Crown Prosecution Service as well as receiving instructions from the Complex Casework Unit, both locally, the West Midlands and York, and the Appeals Units in London and York.
We prosecute every type of case from the most challenging of murders to more straightforward matters in the Magistrates Court, but always recognising that every case has real people at its heart and the principles of fair and equitable justice apply to them all.
All members of Chambers are on the CPS Advocate Panel’s approved list and most appear on at least one of the specialist panels too. You will find the relevant details on members individual biographies.
Private Prosecution
Whether it be on behalf of a designated statutory body, a local authority, or a private individual, we bring our wealth of knowledge and experience to bear to ensure that proceedings are brought and handled with the utmost professionalism, efficiency and diligence.
Criminal Defence
As a direct counterpart to our extensive Prosecution experience members of Chambers have an equally extensive experience of all areas of criminal defence. Members regularly provide advice and advocacy services to those who are being prosecuted through the criminal courts.
Chambers has experience in being instructed to conduct the defence for those facing cases and allegations of the utmost seriousness. Chambers can provide members with particular experience of the area or nature of the particular allegations.
Chambers also seeks to work in partnership with our professional clients to ensure that our lay clients are supplied with the highest level of service and support.
General Defence
Those skills developed by our members in the criminal courts are also deployed in other arenas where our members ability to protect and advance the interests of those facing alternative forms of prosecution is highly sought.
We are committed to ensuring that the high standards that pertain to defence in the criminal courts is extended to those facing other challenges.
our work
Our Story
Our Story
Over thirty years ago No. 1 High Pavement was born.
In September 1989, fifteen of us handed in our notice to our chambers at 24 The Ropewalk, Nottingham.
We were part of a highly successful ‘mixed’ common law set. We had not fallen out with our colleagues we simply wanted to create a set that specialised solely in criminal practice advocacy. We put our hands in our pockets, recruited some more members, found ourselves premises and appointed a CPS legal clerk as our Senior Clerk. We leapt into the unknown and No 1 High Pavement started up on 1st January 1990.
It was our great good fortune that we had at the helm a man of the highest calibre in John Milmo QC (later HHJ Milmo QC) who kept our feet on the ground, whilst encouraging us to have our heads in the clouds; full of dreams and ambitions. We were also to discover that our choice of David Duric as our senior clerk - novice that he was - was inspirational.
By the time John Milmo QC left, having been appointed to the Circuit bench, we had become firmly established as a circuit and national set admired for the range and quality of our work. Many members have gone on to achieve their own dreams and ambitions either by judicial appointment or by appointment to silk.
As with all sets we have had the occasional challenge, but as the only remaining one of the fifteen who left The Ropewalk all those years ago, I am the one who is in the best position to judge how we are now.
We still have our feet firmly on the ground and our heads high in the clouds; still full of dreams and ambitions, but above all we are a united, happy and determined set of chambers, who still have a passion for doing the job well.
Oh, and by the way, we are still the best of friends with our highly successful Ropewalk colleagues!
Peter Joyce KC
Terms of Business
Terms of Business
Our terms of business, privacy policy, complaints procedure and equality and diversity policy.