FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many "silks" do you have on the floor?

Silks is the term used to refer to barristers who are Senior Counsel. Before 1993 such barristers were known as QC or Queens Counsel. There are 3 Senior Counsel on the floor - Gregory Laughton, Michael Windsor and Michael Meek.

How many Readers are there on the floor?

We currently have 1 reader.

What do the barristers charge?

Barristers charge on an hourly or daily rate. Their fees relate to the expertise and experience of each barrister.

Who would you recommend for a particular area of law?

Each of the barristers is a specialist in certain areas of law. In all, our floor members cover over 43 different areas. Click on this link - Areas of Practice - to go to the Areas of Practice page which lists all the areas of law in which floor members practice, allowing you to select a barrister to suit your needs.

History

Due to the tireless efforts of Sir Kenneth Manning and Sir Garfield Barwick and other leading barristers of the time, Wentworth Chambers was opened in 1957 and Selborne Chambers in 1963 to accommodate the Sydney Bar. Past members of this floor have included Mary Gaudron, a retired justice of the High Court of Australia and former Solicitor-General of New South Wales; the late Frank Hutley QC, formerly a member of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales; Cecily Backhouse, former Judge of the District Court of New South Wales; Associate Justice John McLaughlin of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the late Laurence Gruzman QC.

The 13th Floor Wentworth Selborne Chambers has 39 members:-

3 Senior Counsel
32 Junior Counsel
4 Readers