Blackburn Chambers is Canberra’s original, largest and most prestigious barristers’ chambers. Our barristers are the leading barristers in Canberra. Over many decades, members of Blackburn Chambers have been involved in the most significant and high-profile cases in the ACT and surrounding NSW. Past members of Chambers have gone on to become members of the ACT Supreme Court, the ACT Magistrates Courts, the Federal Circuit Court, and the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Blackburn is also a modern, progressive and newly refurbished chambers, whose members have a keen eye to the future, and a commitment to developing the ACT Bar as a centre of professional excellence on the national legal scene. Blackburn’s barristers aspire to provide professional services of the highest quality in relation to all aspects of Territory, federal and interstate law, both for the ACT and surrounding areas of NSW.

The barristers at Blackburn practice in a wide range of areas, including commercial law and equity, common law, administrative law, employment law, criminal law, family law, constitutional law, and many others.

Blackburn Chambers was named after Sir Richard Blackburn, the first Chief Justice of the Australian Capital Territory.

At Blackburn Chambers we recognise the vital role of readers in keeping our chambers at the forefront of the modern legal profession. We welcome people with fresh minds, diverse practices and new approaches to progress through Chambers. Readership is a challenging and intense time, but our barristers provide support to ensure readers find it incredibly rewarding too.

Readership at Blackburn Chambers will provide the opportunity to experience a broad range of specialist practice areas.  Readers will work alongside and learn from barristers who are experts in their chosen field, offering the best possible start to a career at the Bar.

We pride ourselves on being a friendly, approachable set, with regular opportunities to meet and mingle with members at all levels in an informal context.  We have a collegiate approach to practicing as barristers.  Events are also scheduled throughout the year to embrace the contribution from partners and families as well.

Blackburn Chambers has accommodation for readers with attractive rates.  We also have a variety of experienced barristers to act as a tutor.

Reading at Blackburn Chambers provides an invaluable opportunity to work with and learn from some of Canberra’s leading barristers

Applications and inquiries to read at Blackburn Chambers should be directed to the Clerk.

Blackburn Chambers provides a “full service” set of chambers to its members.  Our view is that a model that maximises the time that barristers can devote to remunerative legal work by minimising the time that they have to spend on administrative and other non-remunerative distractions is a good one.

We have a dedicated Clerk and administrative assistants to attend to a variety of tasks, including legal research.  We also believe that we minimise costs and maximise outcomes by co-operative central purchasing of key items like research materials, IT, insurance and promotional expenditure.

Blackburn Chambers has an extensive library consisting of over 800 textbooks and loose leaf services. It also has over 90 law reports series, including full sets of authorised reports from all major Australian courts and tribunals.  In addition, the library subscribes to commercial online databases.

In recognition of the need to assist greater numbers of barristers to join the Bar, and in an attempt to assist such barristers wishing both to participate in family life and to maintain their professional career, Blackburn Chambers has resolved to create the “Blackburn Chambers Parental Fee Relief Policy”.

The Program is available to all barristers who are practicing at Blackburn Chambers.

Participants in the program will be entitled to take leave from Chambers for up to 12 months and retain a room in Chambers during that period, upon payment of floor fees at readers’ rates.

This program is intended to alleviate some of the financial burden associated for practitioners who wish to maintain their professional career and participate in family life.

We hope that this policy encourages barristers to join the ACT Bar and assists those practising as Barristers at Blackburn Chambers.

For a full range of membership benefits and services, please contact the Clerk.

Barristers’ chambers announce ACT-first parental leave policy (Canberra Times)