Coronavirus safety measures, ahead of your visit to Chambers

Monday 13th December 2021

Following the government announcement, we are pleased to confirm that Chambers will continue to remain open, and to provide a face to face reception service between the full operational hours of 8.30am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.

Limited numbers of staff will be working on site on a rotation basis, whilst the majority continue to work remotely in line with Government guidance.

If you are required to attend Chambers in person, please continue to adhere to the following safety measures;

  • Please wear a face covering whilst in Chambers.
  • Please maintain appropriate social distancing.
  • Please use the hand sanitisation stations upon your arrival at Chambers

Once again, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued patience and support.  The safety of our Members, Staff and Clients remains our highest priority.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch, thank you.

 

Monday 19th July 2021

Following the government’s announcement of restrictions being removed, we are pleased to confirm that Chambers will continue to remain open, and to provide a face to face reception service between the full operational hours of 8.30am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.

Limited numbers of staff will be working on site on a rotation basis, whilst the majority continue to work remotely in line with St Ives Chambers health and safety measures.

If you are required to attend Chambers in person, please continue to adhere to the following safety measures;

  • Please do not attend Chambers if you are displaying any flu like symptoms
  • We would encourage all visitors to take a Lateral Flow Test before attending Chambers
  • Please continue to wear a face covering, and to maintain social distancing whilst in Chambers
  • Please use the hand sanitisation stations upon your arrival at Chambers

Limited refreshments (tea, coffee, water) will be available on site, via a self-service machine (please ask the Receptionist on arrival for any assistance).

Once again, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued patience and support.  The safety of our Members, Staff and Clients remains our highest priority.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch.  Thank you very much, and we look forward to welcoming you back to Chambers.

 

Monday 14th June 2021

Following the governments announcement, we are pleased to confirm that Chambers will continue to remain open, and to provide a face to face reception service between the full operational hours of 8.30am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.

Limited numbers of staff will be working on site on a rotation basis, whilst the majority continue to work remotely in line with Government guidance.

If you are required to attend Chambers in person, please continue to follow the safety measures in place.

Once again, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued patience and support.  The safety of our Members, Staff and Clients remains our highest priority.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch, thank you.

 

Monday 17th May 2021

Following the announcement of lockdown easing, we are pleased to confirm that Chambers will continue to remain open, and to provide a face to face reception service between the full operational hours of 8.30am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.

Limited numbers of staff will be working on site on a rotation basis, whilst the majority continue to work remotely in line with Government guidance.

If you are required to attend Chambers in person, please continue to follow the safety measures in place.

Once again, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued patience and support.  The safety of our Members, Staff and Clients remains our highest priority.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch, thank you.

 

Tuesday 5th January 2021

Following the announcement of the third national lockdown, we are pleased to confirm that Chambers will continue to remain open, and to provide a face to face reception service between the full operational hours of 8.30am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.

Limited numbers of staff will be working on site on a rotation basis, whilst the majority continue to work remotely in line with Government guidance.

If you are required to attend Chambers in person, please continue to follow the safety measures in place.

Once again, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued patience and support.  The safety of our Members, Staff and Clients remains our highest priority.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch, thank you.

 

Thursday 5th November 2020

Following the announcement of the second national lockdown, we are pleased to confirm that Chambers will continue to remain open, and to provide a face to face reception service between the full operational hours of 8.30am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.

Limited numbers of staff will be working on site on a rotation basis, whilst the majority continue to work remotely in line with Government guidance.

If you are required to attend Chambers in person, please continue to follow the safety measures in place.

Once again, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued patience and support.  The safety of our Members, Staff and Clients remains our highest priority.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch, thank you.

 

From 1st October 2020

In line with Stage 2 of our Re-Opening Plan, we are pleased to confirm that Chambers will now be providing a face to face reception service between the full operational hours of 8.30am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.

Members of staff will be working on site on a rotation basis, whilst continuing to work remotely in line with the latest Government guidance.

If you are attending Chambers in person, please ensure that you continue to follow the safety measures that have been put in place.

Once again, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your patience and support over the recent months, and to assure you that the safety of our Members, Staff and Clients remains our highest priority.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch, thank you.

 

From 1 st September 2020

We are pleased to confirm that Chambers is now opening via a staged process to all visitors.

Stage 1

The majority of staff are working from home with full access to their emails and can be contacted via Chambers’ telephone system. However, from 1st September 2020, Chambers will provide a face to face reception service between 10.00am to 4:00pm Monday to Friday.

Please note that in order to ensure your safety, Chambers has installed a number of health and safety measures, which we would ask that you follow when attending in person. These include:

 

Considerations prior to arrival

In order to reduce the risk of cross contamination and the spread of Covid-19, refreshments will not be available on site.  You must wear a mask and you are encouraged to bring your own  food/drink as required.

 

On arrival

  • Use the hand sanitisation facilities provided at the entrance point.
  • Take time to familiarise yourself with the safety notices and posters that are displayed in the entrance point and in reception.
  • If your arrival is between the hours of 8.30am and 6.00pm you will be greeted by the receptionist, who will sign you in.
  • If your visit is to be outside these hours, your barrister will contact you beforehand to make the necessary arrangements for your arrival (point of entrance etc).
  • The receptionist/barrister will then escort you to a conference room, where your meeting will take place.

 

During your visit

  • Please follow the social distancing measures that are in place throughout Chambers.
  • Keep a safe 1 metre + from others at all times.
  • Wash your hands regularly, and adhere to the Government recommended hygiene measures (cover your mouth and nose when coughing/sneezing).

 

On departure

  • Upon your departure the receptionist will sign you out.
  • If your departure is out of hours,  your barrister will escort you to the relevant exit point out of the building.

 

Stage 2

In the coming months it is Chambers plan to increase the levels of staff working from Chambers, ensuring the appropriate safety measures are in place. Further announcements will be made once this stage is viable.

We remain committed to providing the highest service standards to all our clients, and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and patience during these difficult times. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the above, please do not hesitate to contact us here.

We very much look forward to welcoming you back to Chambers.

 

May 2020

St Ives Chambers barristers and staff are working from home with full access to their emails and can be contacted through chambers’ telephone system. We remain committed to providing the highest service standards across all virtual and telephone platforms during this time. For contact details please click here.

Cheques: Due to the current circumstances we would prefer payments for Counsel’s fees to be made via BACS, but we are of course still accepting cheques where necessary. The details are provided on all of our fee notes, please contact the fees team if you require any further assistance at fees@stiveschambers.co.uk.

 

1 April 2020

Helpful Resources

In these unprecedented times, we are finding that policies and procedures relating to fixing and attending Court Hearings vary according to Court and case type, so we have put together a selection of links which we hope you will find useful.

These are live links so please feel free to check regularly for updates.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the relevant clerking team.

General

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS)

HMCTS has a variety of helpful resources, however, as a large section of the gov.uk site it can take time to navigate.

We recommend a regular review of the following useful pages: –

List of Priority Courts (published 27th March 2020)

HMCTS website has published a list of Priority Courts which will remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic, this list is available to download for reference.

HMCTS Telephone and Video Hearings (published 18th March 2020)

This section contains comprehensive guidance in relation to how HMCTS will make use of telephone and video hearings.

Attending Court in Person – Safety Advice (published 29th March 2020)

Details of security, cleaning and social-distancing arrangements in Court buildings for anyone who is required to attend Court in person during the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can also sign up for email alerts as these pages are likely to change on a daily basis.

Business & Property

Judiciary.uk has published protocols and practice directions including updates from the Lord Chief Justice and guidance for all Court types, in particular: –

High Court Contingency Plan

Civil Court Guidance on how to conduct remote hearings

In relation to Administrative Court matters, please see links for issue of urgent and non-urgent cases (courtesy of the Bar Council website).

Crime

The Criminal Bar Association website has a comprehensive set of links available including an analysis of the legislative changes effected by the Coronavirus Act 2020

Family

West Midlands Family Law Bar Association (FLBA)

The West Midlands FLBA have helpfully published an electronic library of national and local guidance and precedents relating specifically to the Family Court.

The above links provide a general guide only. For specific Court enquiries we recommend you contact the local Court directly where possible, however if you run into any difficulties the Clerks may be able to assist with local Court knowledge so please do not hesitate to contact Chambers. 

 

25th March 2020

Cheques

Due to the current circumstances we would prefer payments for Counsel’s fees to be made via BACS, but we are of course still accepting cheques where necessary. The details are provided on all of our fee notes, please contact the fees team if you require any further assistance at fees@stiveschambers.co.uk.

We apologise for this inconvenience, which is necessary in the circumstances.

We thank you for your cooperation.

 

24th March 2020

In these unprecedented times of uncertainty and challenge, St Ives Chambers remains committed to providing a first class service, following government advice and to protect the health and wellbeing of our clients, staff and members.

In order to minimise the risk of exposure and spread of Covid-19 we have therefore decided to close the building with immediate effect. There will be no physical access to Chambers until further notice.

In the meantime, Chambers remains fully operational, with all staff being facilitated to work from home during business hours, from 8:30am until 6:00pm. Email is our preferred method of communication in these difficult times as this will ensure your query is dealt with as swiftly as possible. A list of email addresses for each department is listed below. Alternatively, individual email addresses can be accessed via our website by clicking on the following link.

Should you wish to contact Chambers by phone, our usual number remains live: 0121 236 0863. On calling this number, you will be provided with a list of options to choose from in order to help us direct your call to the most appropriate person.

We will endeavour to keep you updated with any changes to the above and thank you in advance for your continued co-operation and patience.

St Ives Chambers

 

  Area   Member of Staff   Email Address
  Chambers Director   Jackie Maskew   jackie.maskew@stiveschambers.co.uk
  Public law children   Sarah Robinson
  Nick Burdon
  Asma Akhtar
  Scott Goodison
  familyclerks@stiveschambers.co.uk
  Private law children   David Walters   familyclerks@stiveschambers.co.uk
  Business and Property   Ross Hands
  Catherine Merry
  civilclerks@stiveschambers.co.uk
  Regulatory   Ross Hands   civilclerks@stiveschambers.co.uk
  Housing   Ross Hands
  Catherine Merry
  civilclerks@stiveschambers.co.uk
  Family Finance   Catherine Merry
  David Walters
  civilclerks@stiveschambers.co.uk
  Crime   Philip Hidson
  Andrew Rourke
 crimeclerks@stiveschambers.co.uk
  Fees Department   Jamie Brooks
  Sunita Boparai
  Gintare Broomfield
  Amrinah Maskin
  fees@stiveschambers.co.uk
  Business Administrator   Melanie Reilly   melanie.reilly@stiveschambers.co.uk
  Marketing Department   Hannah Yates
  Ayka Ali
  marketing@stiveschambers.co.uk

 

19th March 2020

St Ives Chambers response to Covid-19:

In light of the current situation with Coronavirus (Covid-19), we would like to re-assure you that St Ives Chambers is still open for business as usual. We are closely monitoring the situation and will be following all relevant government advice.

The health and wellbeing of our staff and clients is very important therefore our staff members will be working on a rotational system, either working from home or in Chambers. We remain very much committed to providing first-class service to our clients.

For the best interest of or staff and clients we encourage that any contact or query you may require with Chambers to be carried out by telephone or email.

If we can assist you in any way further please contact Chambers on 0121 236 0863 and our team will be happy to help.

 

12th March 2020

We take the health and wellbeing of our staff and clients very seriously and are closely monitoring Government advice with regards to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

Our current position is that Chambers remains open to visitors, clients and suppliers. However, following the announcement from the Prime Minister that we have gone from a stage of ‘Containment’ to ‘Delay’, all seminars and event related conferences will be cancelled and rearranged at a later date. This will be reviewed at the end of April. Please note we will offer you a full refund for paid for events.

Before attending Chambers for any other reason, we would ask all parties to please consider and follow the advice in the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance

We fully accept that after reading this advice you may no longer wish to attend Chambers. In this instance we would ask that you contact Chambers as soon as possible on 0121 236 0863 to cancel your meeting.

Should our position in respect of any of the above change, we will update this notice.

Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

 

St Ives Chambers