153 Phillip is a new floor of 14 barristers, established in October 2017.
The floor is on Level 3 of 153 Phillip Street, Sydney, in what was once the ‘Sun Newspaper’ building, less than 100 metres from the Supreme and Federal Courts.
The members of the floor are all specialist advocates, whose combined experience and expertise cover a diverse range of practice areas including defamation and media, commercial law in its many forms including corporations, insurance and insolvency, regulatory and disciplinary work, intellectual property, industrial law, commissions of inquiry and alternative dispute resolution (including mediation).
Peter Gray SC, Head of Chambers:
“I am delighted that our new floor is now a reality. We have assembled a strong and diverse group of advocates with a wide range of age and experience. Some members have been admitted within the last few years, while others have been practising for 25 years or more. All of us are energised by the opportunity to strike out in this new direction.”
“The floor has a fundamental principle that no ‘key money’ will be payable for the acquisition of a room on the floor. When new members join the floor, over time, there will be no purchase price to be paid. This reflects the strongly held view of the members that the Bar should be a vocation with as few barriers to entry as possible. Thus neither existing members nor aspiring members, nor the floor as a whole, will be subject to the caprices of the ‘market’ for barristers’ rooms in Sydney. Ability and potential, not purchasing power, will be the important selection criteria – along with the collegiality which is already a hallmark of the floor.”
“The conference room on the floor has been named “The J H Plunkett Room”, in honour of the great Attorney-General of NSW, later Australia’s first silk, who courageously prosecuted the white perpetrators of the 1838 Myall Creek massacre of 28 Aboriginal people, and whose whole career stands as “a beacon of humanity and inter-racial justice that illuminated the way for Australia to develop as a civilised nation”. The floor’s members are united in their admiration for the example set by Plunkett as an advocate of honour and integrity, who stood and fought for the equality of all – of whatever race, colour or religion – before the law.”