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About Chambers


About Chambers

Garden Court North Chambers (The Chambers of Ian Macdonald QC), formed in 1996, is a progressive set of barristers dedicated to providing a high-quality service to all clients, particularly those disadvantaged by discrimination and inequality.

Considered to be "the only noteworthy civil liberties outfit outside London" (Chambers and Partners 2005 p1626), and "...the only set outside London to specialise in human rights" (Chambers and Partners 2008), chambers has always had a strong commitment to publicly funded work. Members use their skills to articulate the arguments that their lay-clients would if they could and seek to ensure that in whatever forum they are operating, they uphold the legal rights of their clients to the maximum extent.

Chambers undertakes work in Criminal Defence , Housing , Immigration and Nationality , Individual Rights and Civil Work (including Judicial Review ), claims against the police and Public authorities, Employment and Discrimination law, Inquests , Prisoners' Rights , Community Care , Mental Health , and Education law . Most members of Chambers live in or around Manchester, although they frequently travel to court locations across England and Wales including London. Members of Chambers are prepared to undertake work pro bono in appropriate cases where funding is unavailable.

Equality

Chambers applies an equality code in relation to all of its activities, and opposes discrimination on the basis of, inter alia, sex, race, disability, religion, age or sexuality.

Legal Training

Chambers are approved as an external course provider by The Law Society to provide continuing professional development (CPD) training in our specialist areas. Chambers have been involved since February 2002 in North West Solicitors' Training with the regional Law Society. Members of Chambers regularly train solicitors, law centres and other professional bodies in specialist areas of law.

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Premises

We moved to our current premises in Oxford Court in October 2002. Our facilities include client parking, spacious conference rooms and networked IT systems. Our chambers also feature disabled access facilities including a ground floor disabled toilet and disabled access to the ground floor conference room.

Client care

Chambers is proud to make client care the cornerstone of its practice. The standards charter sets out the procedures we have implemented to that end.



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  What's New?  
 

March 2010 Prison law update

11/3/10 GCN and APL announce one day prison seminar (22/04)

9/3/10 Dr Tor Pettit confirmed to speak at GCN's Mental Capacity seminar (23/03)

March 2010 Housing Bulletin

4/3/10 Bryony Poynor presenting Family Law Update for Sheffield Law Society (20/04)

26/2/10 Four housing seminars announced for spring/ summer 2010

25/2/10 One day immigration update announced (13/5/10)

25/2/10 Pete Weatherby on assisted suicide

HOUSING LAW TENANTS

16/2/10 Bryony Poynor to run London Marathon

12/2/10 Brigid Baillie joins chambers

12/2/10 IPP sentence quashed

10/2/10 GCN write to MoJ and LSC in response to proposed government cuts to criminal legal aid

4/2/10 Mark George to speak at US death penalty event

January 2010 Criminal law update

18/01/10 Camille Warren joins chambers

18/01/10 Prison law - Challenging NOMS and UK Board Agency agreement on segregation of foreign nationals

16/12/09 Third party support and/or joint sponsorship permissible for entry clearance applications under Rules 281, 297 & 317

16/12/09 Sonny Lodge public inquiry - final report released

15/12/09 Appeal against 2004 convictions allowed - referral by Criminal Cases Review Commission

11/12/09 Manchester City Council –v- Pinnock - Permission to appeal granted

3/12/09 Prison law - 'Challenging Deportation'

30/11/09 Prison JR: SSJ acted unlawfully in IPP transfer

17/11/09 Chambers & Partners 2010 recommendations

12/11/09 Mark George QC on Judge's decision in child rape case

6/11/09 James Stark to speak at HLPA event on 15/12

30/10/09 Three new members join GCN

9/10/09 Sarah Daley 'the issues of best value tendering in criminal legal aid'

2/10/09 ‘Letter from America’ Kate Stone’s Pegasus scholarship

1/10/09 UK Supreme Court Opens

28/9/09 Legal 500 ratings

23/9/09 Pete Weatherby on assisted suicide guidelines

14/9/09 Appeal against sentencing affecting HDC upheld

11/9/09 Prison JR on reasons for Cat A ERC decisions

9/9/09 Michael Shields released; first ever British pardon of someone convicted abroad (+ media coverage links)

4/9/09 James Stark on "homeless at home"

19/8/09 Prison JR challenges Cat A review decision

16/8/09 Pete Weatherby on "Right to review reviewed"

7/8/09 Latest equal pay case

31/7/09 James Stark on "Reasonable Occupational Continuation"

23/7/09 Sex offenders register without mechanism for review is "incompatible" with HRA 1998

22/7/09 Unlawful killing verdict for aid worker killed in India

17/7/09 House of Lords to consider "third party support"

17/7/09 Prison JR quashes re-categorisation and HDC decision

16/7/09 Who is "Lawyer of the week" and which GCN barrister gets a mention?