Chantal-Aimée Doerries QC has become the new Chairman of the Bar, taking over from outgoing Chairman Alistair MacDonald QC in leading the Bar Council, the representative body for barristers in England & Wales. Joining her at the Bar Council helm in 2016 is Andrew Langdon QC who becomes Vice-Chairman of the Bar. 

Chantal was called to the Bar in 1992 and took silk in 2008. She practises from Atkin Chambers. Much of her work involves representing a broad spectrum of clients in relation to infrastructure projects and the energy sector. As well as representing clients in the UK, her work has taken her all over the world including recently, to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. She is a joint editor of the Building Law Reports, contributing editor of Hudson Building and Engineering Contracts and co-editor in chief of the International Construction Law Review. Chantal-Aimée has been involved with the Bar Council since 1999 and was Chairman of its International Committee between 2011 and 2014. She is a past Chairman of the Technology and Construction Bar Association and became a Bencher of Middle Temple in 2010. 

CADQC Chantal-Aimée Doerries QC, Chairman of the Bar

Andrew Langdon QC was called to the Bar in 1986 and took silk in 2006. He practises from Guildhall Chambers in Bristol, predominantly on the Western Circuit.  He practises in crime, including regulatory crime, and in particular health and safety. He has sat as a Recorder since 2002, and became a Bencher of Middle Temple in 2014. From October 2013 until the end of 2015 he was Leader of the Western Circuit.  

Lorinda Long remains as is Treasurer of the Bar Council for the second year. Lorinda is a financial services specialist having worked as an in-house transactional lawyer, Head of Legal and General Counsel for a number of leading institutions such as NatWest, Credit Suisse, Bank of Scotland and Lloyds. She has spent the last few years providing consultancy services to various organisations including British Gas, Barclays and MetLife.

Young Bar 

It's all change at the Young Bar too, with a new Chairman of the Bar Council's Young Barristers' Committee. Louisa Nye takes over from Daniel Sternberg to head up the junior end of the Bar in 2016. 

Louisa was called to the Bar in 2007 and practises from Landmark Chambers. She specialises in Property Law and Landlord and Tenant, dealing with both commercial and residential property. She is the editor of the Private Sector Residential Tenancies division of Hill and Redman's Law of Landlord and Tenant. She regularly deals with cases in the High Court, County Court, and the First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). In addition, Louisa is an experienced mediation advocate. Louisa has been a member of the Young Barristers' Committee since 2012 and became an elected member of the Bar Council in 2015. She is a member of the Bar Council's Wellbeing at the Bar Working Group and the Bar Council's Alternative Dispute Resolution Panel. 

Duncan McCombe becomes Vice-Chairman of the Young Barristers' Committee. Having studied Chinese at university he has a particular interest in East Asia and also sits on the International Committee. He practises from Maitland Chambers, a commercial Chancery set in London. His work includes large-scale international commercial litigation, company law, insolvency, civil fraud, property and trusts. This involves appearing in the High Court and County Court in his own right in smaller cases and as part of a team on larger high-value disputes.

                                                                   Ends

Notes to Editors

1. Further information is available from the Bar Council Press Office on 020 7222 2525 and [email protected] .

2. The Bar Council represents barristers in England and Wales. It promotes: 

  • The Bar's high quality specialist advocacy and advisory services
  • Fair access to justice for all
  • The highest standards of ethics, equality and diversity across the profession, and
  • The development of business opportunities for barristers at home and abroad.

The General Council of the Bar is the Approved Regulator of the Bar of England and Wales. It discharges its regulatory functions through the independent Bar Standards Board