London barristers' chambers opt to rebrand itself to undo a historical wrong

London barristers' chambers opt to rebrand itself to undo a historical wrong

Hardwicke Chambers becomes Gatehouse Chambers after the discovery that Lord Hardwicke provided legal justification for slavery

The set of London's barristers have decided to go in for a course correction and undo a historical wrong in a bid to remove a blot.

The Hardwicke Chambers is to be rebranded as Gatehouse Chambers now. The decision follows the uncomfortable discovery that it was named after a historical legal figure who helped legitimise the slave trade.

Investigations by legal bloggers revealed the link between 18th century Lord Chancellor Lord Hardwicke, after whom it was named, and the slave trade. Investigations were undertaken in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests of last year.

Lord Hardwicke was one of two authors of the Yorke-Talbot opinion in 1729, which was relied on by slave owners to provide legal justification for slavery for many years.

"The discovery of the provenance of our business' name did not sit comfortably with our values as an organisation, or the inclusive and diverse nature of our people and our clients. We have spent many years building up a reputation for excellence, innovation and diversity. We are proud to move forwards with our new name which accords with what we are as an organisation," Brie Stevens-Hoare QC, joint head of chambers, said.

The chambers announced its decision to rebrand itself with a new name through a statement in which it reaffirmed its commitment to diversity, equality and inclusivity. It pointed out that it had participated in several diversity initiatives including Bridging the Bar, All Rise, 10,000 Black Interns, Pathways to Law and FreeBar.

PJ Kirby QC, joint head of chambers, added: "It's not about paying lip service to this issue but truly living out these values and that's why changing our name was an important decision for us."

The name change is set to become effective in July to coincide with the chambers' move to new premises at Lady Hale Gate, Gray's Inn. The chambers have occupied the Hardwicke Building, named by Lincoln's Inn, since 1991.

Chief executive Amanda Illing explained that though the decision to change locations had been made before discovering the origins of the chambers' name, the move would provide staff with an opportunity to "start fresh" in a new space that will better reflect the modern and innovative nature of the chambers.