History

Founded in 1981 by Lord Irvine KC, 11KBW was formed with 1 silk and nine juniors, 8 of whom took silk. James Goudie KC , one of the founder members, remains a practising barrister at 11KBW today.

Other founder members include former Prime Minister, Tony Blair. 11KBW has a rich history of appointments to the judiciary: those currently in office include Lord Sales, Lord Justice Lewis, Lady Justice Laing, Mr Justice Kerr, Mr Justice Choudhury, Mr Justice Swift, Mr Justice Cavanagh KC , Mrs Justice Steyn and Employment Judge Stout.

Former judges include Lord Justice Elias and Keith, Field, Wilkie, Slade and Supperstone JJ.

Since its foundation, 11KBW has steadily expanded.  There are now 63 members of Chambers, including 20 silks.  In October 2019, Daniel Stilitz KC became Joint Head of Chambers alongside James Goudie KC, who has been Head of Chambers since 1997.

Today, 11KBW is recognised in the legal directories as a leading set at the English bar. We handle headline cases in both the public and private arenas. We are well placed to offer the right barrister or team for each type of case, providing the winning mix of seniority and experience.