Latest News

January 2009

Jonathan Barnard joins Cloth Fair Chambers.

October 2008

Adrian Chapman joins Cloth Fair Chambers as First Junior Clerk.

15 December 2008

The members of Cloth Fair Chambers gave a farewell dinner on Monday at The Cinnamon Club in honour of their Consultant Clerk, Michael Greenaway, to mark the end of his consultancy to Chambers and to wish him success on his appointment as Senior Clerk at 9-12 Bell Yard.

Chambers & Partners Bar Awards 2008

Cloth Fair Chambers nominated "Crime Set of the Year"
Ian Winter QC nominated "Crime Silk of the Year"

Cloth Fair Chambers Book Launch

On 14 April 2008, in the presence of the Lord Chief Justice, Cloth Fair Chambers held a book launch for the publication of "Cloth Fair Chambers - A History" by Bronwen Riley. Click here to see an extract.

Chambers & Partners Bar Awards 2007

John Kelsey-Fry QC nominated "Defamation Silk of the Year"

10 April 2007

Cloth Fair Chambers goes green! We are proud to announce that we are now powered by Ecotricity (green energy).

11 January 2007

Nicholas Purnell QC listed in The Top 100 lawyers in the UK by The Lawyer.com

16 October 2006

Cloth Fair Chambers founder members Richard Horwell & Ian Winter are sworn in as Queen's Counsel.

3 October 2006

John Kelsey-Fry QC named 'Crime Silk of the Year', awarded by Chambers and Partners

18 September 2006

Cloth Fair Chambers opens to members after extensive renovations of a 400-year-old building in Cloth Fair, EC1.

The Guardian: Diana Inquest Verdict - Winners and Losers (7 April 2008)

Richard Horwell QC, Counsel for the Metropolitan police, was the only barrister to enhance his reputation at the inquests with a series of devastating cross-examinations of key witnesses, including Fayed and his head of security, John Macnamara, which fully exposed the weakness of their allegations. more

The Sunday Times: Fiasco Does Racing No Favours (7 December 2007)

........Losing to a verdict by the jury might be acceptable, being told that there is “no case to answer”, as Fallon’s defence lawyers had argued last summer, is a legal knockout, an embarrassment for the British Horseracing Authority and its security department ....... whose case was woefully exposed by John Kelsey-Fry, Fallon’s QC.

...Kelsey-Fry is not only one of the sharpest legal minds on the beat, he knows his racing and it was his slow dissection of Murrihy’s evidence that seemed to sway Mr Justice Forbes towards the necessity for a swift acquittal. “I found myself in agreement with Mr Kelsey-Fry,” said Mr Justice Forbes on Friday, “that there was a fundamental flaw in Mr Murrihy’s evidence....more

The Lawyer: 'The Hot 100 2007'

'Purnell and his colleagues cite the Carter reforms to legal aid and the continued pressures on publicly funded work as the catalyst for Cloth Fair. In launching the set the silks are making a bold statement about the future of the independent bar and their desire to uphold its traditions'... more

The Daily Telegraph 'Brief Encounters' (11 May 2006)

Cloth Fair Chambers, as the new set is called, will be based in one of a pair of 400-year-old merchants' homes that survived the Great Fire of London. The discreet location, a short stroll from the Old Bailey, is perfect for clients who would rather not be spotted visiting criminal chambers. The set also hopes to attract referrals from nearby City firms who may not have realised what criminal barristers have to offer.'... more

The Lawyer: 'Cloth Fair Chambers: Men of the Cloth' (20 November 2006)

Some have called them arrogant, but the seven QCs who have launched Cloth Fair Chambers insist that their expertise and 'old school' structure will benefit all of the practitioners on any highvalue
case' ... more

The Lawyer 'Hot 100' (1 November 2006)

'It is five years since the death of the great George Carman QC, a criminal silk turned libel star. At last someone is emerging who may be Carman’s successor. John Kelsey-Fry QC, a tenant at top criminal set Hollis Whiteman Chambers, has built a powerful criminal and fraud practice that has seen him act on a series of high-profile cases, including the Blue Arrow fraud trial and IRA terrorist prosecutions'... more

The Times 'Mistress of cut and thrust in the courtroom' (28 February 2006)

'In court, age and treachery still triumph over youth and ability. The leading practitioner Nick Purnell, QC, 62, explains: “There’s simply no substitute for experience.” ... His point is underlined by two big hitters: John Kelsey-Fry, QC, at the half-century and David Perry, who is 49: One admirer of “Kelsey”, as he is known, comments: “He has become an outstanding advocate in the past five years — up there with the best of them.” ... Ian Winter: Like Ellison, from the same stable as Bevan, Langdale and Kelsey-Fry. The solicitors’ choice: “quite exceptional”, “a real star.”... more

The Times 'The Water Cooler' (30 October 2006)

Another victory for John Kelsey-Fry, QC, who triumphed over fellow nominees Jim Sturman, QC, and Clare Montgomery, QC, to win the title Crime Silk of the Year, awarded by Chambers and Partners. Sturman is suitably gushing in his praise: “John is one of my idols. A charming man and a tremendous cross-examiner. It has been one of the proudest moments of my career to have been shortlisted alongside him. He’s the star of his generation because he’s such a stupendous, tremendously effective advocate.' ... more

The Times 'Who do you turn to in times of trouble?' (21 February 2006)

'Among the younger silks John Kelsey Fry, Clare Montgomery and Alex Cameron stand out. But when it comes to defending big-time fraudsters, errant millionaires and the odd politician- turned-perjurer, it’s senior silks in their late fifties and early sixties who come out top of the charts. The legal equivalent of Jagger, Richards and McCartney are Langdale, Lawson and Purnell.'...more

The Times 'The blue-eyed boys of the libel Bar' (29 November 2005)

'Is Kelsey-Fry the new George Carman? It’s too early to pass judgment. Several criminal silks have tried the libel courts, flourished briefly, then moved on without trace. I decided to replay Kelsey’s interview tape: “If I’m in a case, I’m quite obsessive. It’s all I can think of. It occupies my mind to the exclusion of everything else in life. The only thing I used to be able to do to switch off, until a few years ago, was sit at a blackjack table. The concentration was so intense.” Word for word, it was pure George.'... more

The album currently features the celebrations following founder members Ian Winter & Richard Horwell after being made Queen's Counsel on October 16th 2006.

To view the album simply mouse over the forward & reverse areas to scroll through.