About Us

Counsel’s Chambers Limited was incorporated in 1952, to provide accommodation to members of the NSW Bar. The Company owns Wentworth & Selborne Chambers, Lockhart Chambers, and four floors in Windeyer Chambers with over 500 Barristers and the New South Wales Bar Association occupying space in the buildings.

In addition to providing accommodation, the Company also provides Alternative Dispute Resolution facilities and is a service provider of information and communication technology utilising on site network facilities.

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Company History

Counsel's Chambers Limited ("CCL") was incorporated by the NSW Bar Association on 24 October 1952.

Until June 1980, CCL and the Bar Association shared offices and staff. By 1980 the bar had grown significantly and as CCL membership represented only about 60% of the bar, it was decided that CCL should be administered independently. New offices for CCL were built adjacent to the Bar Association's offices on the Lower Ground Floor of Selborne Chambers. In December 1992 CCL relocated its offices to the 1st Floor, Selborne Chambers.

Wentworth Chambers:
Wentworth Chambers was officially opened on 20 August 1957, the building was named after William Charles Wentworth (1790 - 1872), statesman and a founder of the New South Wales Bar who powerfully influenced the local attainment of the Jury Trial and Constitutional Reforms. His initiatives, forceful advocacy and integrity gave definition, direction and vision to the infant bar.

Selborne Chambers:
Selborne Chambers was occupied from October 1963 and stands on the site of a building erected in 1883 and then named “Selborne Chambers” in honour of Roundell Palmer, 1st Earl of Selborne who as Lord Chancellor (1872 - 74; 1880 - 85) sponsored the English judicature act reforms.

Lockhart Chambers:
On 1 December 2008, Lockhart Chambers was named in honour of The Hon. John Stanley Lockhart AO QC to commemorate his outstanding contribution to the legal profession and to the wider community. He practised at the NSW Bar from 1960 - 1978, during which time served on Bar Council and as a director of Counsel's Chambers Limited. He served as a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia from 1978 - 1999. He was an executive director of the Asian Development Bank in the Philippines and a member of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organisation in Geneva, and he chaired high level committees including the embryo research and stem cell review in 2005.

Windeyer Chambers:
Windeyer Chambers were so named to commemorate the long association of the Windeyer family with the NSW Bench and Bar.

Charles Windeyer Police Magistrate 1831 - 1848
Richard Windeyer M.L.C. Barrister 1836 - 1847
William Charles Windeyer Barrister 1857 - 1879
  Judge of the Supreme Court 1879 - 1896
Richard Windeyer K.C. Barrister 1894 - 1947
William John Victor Windeyer Barrister 1925 - 1952
  Justice of the High Court of Australia 1958 - 1972

 

The commemorative plaque at the entrance to Windeyer Chambers was unveiled by the RT Hon. Sir W.J.V Windeyer P.C, K.B.E., C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., E.D. on 15TH June 1984

To read more view the 50th Anniversary of Wentworth Chambers commemorative booklet.

 

Company Officers

Debbie George

CEO

Email

Lee Albert

Operations Manager

Email

Maintenance Department

Khiem Nguyen

Facilities Coordinator & Safety Officer

Email

Kane Lesmond

Facilities Coordinator

Email

Peter Crowe

Property Attendant

Email

Roy Burgmann

Maintenance & Network Support Intern

Email

Accounts Department

Anthony McManus

Company Accountant

Email

Tracey Fatu

Property Management Accounts Clerk

Email

Network Operations

Michael Wright

CIO

Email

Mark Hamilton

IT Infrastructure Manager

Email

Mitchell Rea

System Administrator

Email

Isabelle Ho

Network Support Officer

Email

Administration and NSW Bar Dispute Resolution Centre

Nic Rea

Office Manager

Email

Past Directors

Name Appointed Resigned
MANNING, Kenneth James 24.10.1952 22.11.1956
BARWICK, Garfield E.J. 24.10.1952 24.06.1964
TOOSE, Paul Buchere 24.10.1952 01.10.1969
MAGUIRE, Hugh 24.10.1952 17.04.1953
KERR, John Robert 24.10.1952 29.06.1966
CROSS, Ronald F. 05.02.1954 10.06.1957
PILCHER, James E.H. 05.02.1954 13.11.1963
SHAND, Jack 16.04.1956 1959
REYNOLDS, Raymond G. 03.09.1960 16.10.1967
NAGLE, J.F. 03.09.1957 20.06.1960
CASSIDY, Jack 19.02.1960 27.11.1974
HOLLAND, K.J. 20.06.1960 17.10.1972
BOWEN, Nigel H. 30.11.1963 30.04.1966
YELDHAM, David A. 24.06.1964 07.11.1974
CANTOR, H.L. 29.06.1966 28.06.1972
NEEDHAM, G.D. 03.09.1969 07.03.1972
LOCKHART, J.S. 10.11.1966 07.11.1978
LUDEKE, J.T. 29.10.1969 28.06.1972
SMITH, G.H. 05.04.1972 21.11.1972
BEAUMONT, Bryan A. 28.06.1972 07.07.1972
COLE, T.R.H. 29.06.1972 07.07.1982
RILEY, B.B. 07.11.1972 24.10.1973
MORLING, Trevor 21.11.1972 07.02.1978
GYLES, R.V. 24.10.1973 01.04.1980
WOOD, James R.T. 07.11.1974 02.11.1982
BACKHOUSE, Cecily E. 16.12.1974 29.11.1990
HUGHES, Tom E.F. 19.12.1975 04.10.1977
NORTH, John Otway 19.12.1975 15.03.1983
CRAWFORD, Graham A. 01.11.1977 11.11.1986
DONOHOE, P.M. 04.04.1978 26.06.1996
McALARY, F.S. 22.11.1978 02.06.1987
SHAND, Alexander Barclay 02.10.1979 28.11.1990
TREW, J.L. 18.06.1981 08.05.1993
HEMMINGS, Noel A. 18.02.1983 06.10.1987
ROWE, John Edgar 27.02.1986 29.11.1993
KERR, Paul D. 02.12.1986 10.12.1993
BRUCE, Vince 02.09.1987 04.07.1994
WEST, John N. 02.09.1987 15.07.1992
SIMPSON, Carolyn Chalmers 24.05.1988 23.02.1994
BRANSON, Christopher C. 02.11.1988 29.11.1990
SLATTERY, Michael J. 29.11.1990 29.11.1995
O'KEEFE, Barry Stanley John 29.11.1990 18.05.1993
McCOLL, Stephanie Ruth 29.11.1990 23.09.1992
WALKER, Mary Catherine 25.11.1992 29.03.1995
EMMETT, A.R. 25.11.1992 30.01.1997
JACOBSON, P.M. 23.06.1993 02.02.2000
DEMPSEY, Mark 23.06.1993 19.06.2002
LINEY, Philip Frederick 29.11.1993 10.12.1996
HEYDON, John Dyson 11.03.1994 23.03.2000
BRIDGE, Alan Campbell Andrew 11.03.1994 23.02.1996
NICHOLAS, William Henric 24.08.1994 26.11.1999
SACKAR, John 29.03.1995 19.07.2000
MUSTON, Lynda Anne 24.05.1995 29.11.2000
RARES, Steven David 29.11.1995 20.12.2005
GZELL, I.V. 24.08.1996 20.12.2002
BISCOE, Peter Meldrum 13.02.1997 12.02.2006
CONTI, Richard Alan 25.02.1997 06.09.2000
JACKMAN, Ian McNeil 26.11.1999 30.09.2002
OAKES, Malcolm Bruce 26.11.1999 23.06.2005
McCALLUM, Lucy 25.10.2000 26.06.2003
DOWLING, Sally Christina 29.11.2000 26.04.2001
REES, Kelly 21.08.2003 01.10.2006
LEVY, Leonard 23.10.2001 08.05.2008
HASTINGS, Peter 12.05.2008 28.08.2009
DONALDSON, Stuart 23.10.2002 09.02.2010
WRIGHT, Robertson 09.09.2009 24.10.2013
ROBINSON, Mark 22.06.2000 30.03.2001
ROBINSON, Mark 06.02.2002 25.02.2015
HENDERSON, Rhonda 09.06.2001 08.07.2016
CASHION, Michael 13.02.2006 05.10.2016
BAILEY, Ian 09.02.2010 09.11.2016
DURACK, Philip 13.02.2006 22.03.2017
POTTER, Richard 09.11.2016 14.09.2017
HALLEY, John 13.12.2016 22.03.2021
SHARIFF, Yassen 14.11.2013 02.05.2022
CURTIS, Fred 19.06.2002 30.06.2022
STERN, Kristina 24.03.2021 17.05.2023
PIKE, Ian 22.03.2017 29.01.2024

Current Directors

Julian Sexton SC

Chairman

Email
P: +61 2 9233 7215
10th Floor Wentworth Chambers
Appointed: 23 June 2005

Nick Kidd SC

Deputy Chairman

Email
P: +61 2 9221 5655
7th Floor Selborne Chambers
Appointed: 25 February 2015

Jodi Steele SC

 

Email
P: +61 2 8915 5131
13th Floor Wentworth Chambers
Appointed: 8 July 2016

Peter Morris SC

 

Email
P: +61 2 9230 3224
Ground Floor Wentworth Chambers
Appointed: 14 September 2017

Gillian Mahony SC

 

Email
P: +61 2 9231 1429
8th Floor Wentworth Chambers
Appointed: 17 August 2022

Houda Younan SC

 

Email
P: +61 2 9231 6546
6th Floor Wentworth Selborne Chambers
Appointed: 21 June 2023

Christian Bova SC

 

Email
P: +61 2 9238 0264
11th Floor Wentworth Chambers
Appointed: 6 March 2024

James A. Darvall

 

Email
P: +61 2 9232 2533
9th Floor Windeyer Chambers
Appointed: 29 November 2000

Andrew Bulley

 

Email
P: +61 2 9223 9559
5th Floor Wentworth Chambers
Appointed: 4 October 2006

David Healey

 

Email
P: +61 2 8029 6318
12th Floor Wentworth Chambers
Appointed: 1 June 2022

Chief Executive Officer

Debbie George

CEO

Email

Members Floor

P: 02 9233 3011
P: 02 9232 4466
P: 02 9233 6400

Third Floor Wentworth Chambers

Megan Guise | Geena Blackwood

Email
P: 02 9232 3937
P: 02 9232 2722
P: 02 9231 4988
P: 02 8066 6111
P: 02 9235 1155
P: 02 9221 5664
P: 02 9235 3100
P: 02 9232 6546
P: 02 9232 2944
P: 02 9232 7967
P: 02 9232 4724
P: 02 9235 3033
P: 02 9232 4811
P: 02 9233 5188
P: 02 9232 2533
P: 02 9232 4609
P: 02 9232 4016
P: 02 9229 1750

WHS Management System

CCL recognises the importance of health and safety in the workplace, not only for CCL Staff, but for Members, Clerks, Staff and visitors to the buildings. CCL is proactive in its approach to eliminating or reducing risk through consultation, effective management systems and policies that deal with all aspects of Workplace Health and Safety.

A copy of CCL’s: a) WHS Policy; and, b) Incident Reporting Policy; are available on this page.

Please report all problems related to safety to CCL immediately on +61 2 9231 3644.