FAQ 12

Q12. I joined Chambers recently and discover that, in addition to the payments that were mentioned at the time I joined, I am also being asked to pay substantial additional amounts to pay off debts owed by Chambers. These existed at the time I applied and Chambers clearly knew of them. Do I have to pay them?

A12. Your liabilities here are for the law to decide rather than the Bar Council. You may wish to seek legal advice or involve the Bar Council’s arbitration or conciliation service.

If it is true that there were significant liabilities of which you were not informed, then this could well be a breach of the Head of Chamber’s duties to you under the Code and it is open to you to complain to the Bar Standards Board about this.