Brynmor Adams on life at Exchange Chambers

June 25, 2021

Brynmor Adams relocated from London to join Exchange Chambers in 2018.

Called to the Bar in 2008, he specialises in property and public law, including those areas where the two disciplines interact such as social housing and local government law.

“I decided to leave London for personal reasons,” explains Bryn. “I have young children and I did not want them to spend their formative years living in a cramped flat in Zone 4. Even in a household with two lawyers’ salaries, buying a nice family home in London seemed elusive.

“I wanted to move to the North or Midlands, but leaving the capital depended on being able to find a Chambers that could match or better the quality of work that I was doing in London. I identified Exchange Chambers as somewhere with that reputation for quality and which also had the size and resources to enable me to progress my career.”

Bryn says the reality of life at Exchange Chambers has exceeded his expectations.

“The quality of work I do has improved thanks to the strong client base that I have been able to access,” he continues.

“My existing clients have continued to instruct me particularly for cases in the North and I have been able to introduce them to my new colleagues at Exchange who I can unhesitatingly trust to do a good job.

“The excellent clerking and administrative support at Exchange means that I can concentrate on my work and on developing my practice without having to worry about admin or chambers’ management. My clerks are business-minded and I can tell that they are focused on improving my practice and expanding my client base. I have been particularly impressed by the seminars and marketing teams in Chambers, who make it so easy to deliver high quality training to clients. I did not have anything comparable before I moved. Chambers’ size, resources and excellent management meant that it was able to respond quickly and effectively to the challenges posed by the pandemic. It feels like we are emerging on the other side stronger and better-placed for the future.

“With my move to Exchange, I have achieved what I wanted. I have improved my practice at the Bar. I live on the edge of the Peak District with the green spaces of the National Park on my doorstep. My office in Exchange’s modern premises with a view of the Manchester skyline is only a short commute away. I also have hot-desking in easy reach in Exchange’s Liverpool and Leeds chambers, which provides me with a fantastic base when working for my clients in those cities.”

Bryn says his practice has developed and improved since joining Exchange.

“My private client property work has improved and I now find myself doing more complex and more interesting work,” he adds.

“I benefitted from the early specialism that the London Bar encourages, so I have a narrower field of expertise than many of my contemporaries on the Northern Circuit. This however means that I am able to offer a level of specialism and expertise that others of my call cannot. I have found that this is an attractive offer to the quality firms in Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds whose solicitors have a similar level of focus to their practices.

“The public law aspect of my practice has also improved. I have moved from the Attorney General’s London C Panel to the Northern B Panel. I am now instructed by local authorities and social landlords on more complex and higher value work than before. I am providing advice on more complex matters often involving difficult property or transactional issues. I have moved away from more routine litigation and now find myself instructed in more difficult or important cases. This is challenging but rewarding.”

With experience of both, how would Bryn compare the regional and London Bar?

“I think the London view of the regional Bar is that they are small, generalist and a little bit old-fashioned,” he concludes.

“Whether or not that is true of some sets, Exchange defies the stereotypes. It is a large modern organisation that encourages excellence and specialism from its members. Exchange’s management team has been recruited from beyond the world of the Bar and clerking. Chambers has been led by individuals with experience of running large professional organisations and that competence shows in the way Exchange is run.

“Business and Property work in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool is thriving. There is now a cadre of respected chancery practitioners on the Northern and North Eastern circuits. The Courts in all three cities now have specialist BPC judges, which means that clients are confident of litigating in the North. In the last year, I have been working on developing better links between the Circuits and the Property Bar Association, doing my bit to ensure that the regional bar is visible on a national level.”

Exchange Chambers is currently inviting applications from outstanding commercial barristers across all levels of seniority. A move to Exchange Chambers could transform your practice.

To apply, or for further information, please contact Jonathan I’Anson (Chief Executive) in the strictest confidence.