One minute with... Chris Broom

You’ve recently celebrated your 40th anniversary of being a clerk in chambers. How has life at chambers changed during that time?

When I started as a junior clerk at 8 New Square in 1980, the Bar was more like Downton Abbey. On a Friday afternoon as a junior clerk, I would have to take a number of my Silks individually in a cab to a London Station and put them on a train to their country estate. Forty years on, the Bar much more reflects the society we live in and the relationship between barrister, clerk and professional client has become one of collaboration and teamwork. This is reflected in Gray’s Inn Tax Chambers bold decision (after discussion with our clients) to move into the City to be able to offer them the kind of service and facilities that we as a modern set of chambers provide. 

What were some of the most memorable moments during that time? 

In February 1991, I was clerking in my previous set and I had to clerk Anthony Scrivener QC at a hearing in the Privy Council which then required you going in through Downing Street. Just after 10am that morning, the IRA mortar bombed Downing Street. We were all rushed downstairs to the basement and Scrivener, often used to waiting for a jury to return with their verdict, always carried a pack of cards in his brief case and proceeded to start a game of cards that included the judiciary, opposing counsel and myself. Suffice to say, he won, as he always did at everything. Truly a remarkable lawyer. 

When I later became senior clerk at Gray’s Inn Tax Chambers, the kind of day was very different to my previous set, but never dull. On one memorable day, I had to take a member of chambers down to Westminster in his full-bottomed wig, breaches, silver buckled shoes and white gloves, with me dressed in my formal tails being driven in an old fashioned black Daimler for his Silk ceremony. We hit stationary traffic on the Embankment just before turning right to go down towards Westminster. Time was ticking, and my new Silk was getting very agitated. As we got closer to the junction, the police were making all traffic turn left to go over Westminster Bridge instead. With just ten minutes to go before the ceremony started, I jumped out of the Daimler and approached the policeman. All my new Silk could see was the policeman nodding at me and pulling our Daimler out of the traffic and allowing us to turn right to make it just in time. On the way back from the swearing in ceremony, my beaming new Silk asked me what had I said to the policeman for him to let just us through. I confessed I’d told the policeman I had the Lord Chancellor in the back of the Daimler and he wasn’t in the least bit impressed at being late for the ceremony due to their diversion. My new Silk smiled at me and said, ‘That’s real clerking.’

How is chambers coping under the current lockdown? 

We are open and fully operational, albeit remotely from our homes. Thanks to my brilliant right-hand man, Ben Stern, who led us all through a complete upgrade of our remote working technology last year, we were able to flick the switch when the lockdown started without any problems. 

What do you know now that you wish you’d known at the start of your career? 

I suspect if I had known I would be still doing this 40 years later, I may have taken it a little bit more seriously at the start, but you know what, it turned out alright in the end.

And finally, you might not know this about me but…