Website review

Black Chambers

www.blackchambers.co.uk

Having rebranded from Black Stable to Black Chambers, the time was probably right to invest in a fancy new website. The first thing to say is that I really like the new look (rainbow colours on a black background). The site itself is very clean, very well laid out and easy to navigate.

It is a simple enough proposition, taking a “brochure” approach, supplemented by a modest news section. The site makes use of considerably larger photographs of its members than other similar sites, making Black Chambers particularly suitable for good looking counsel.

The only other point worth mentioning is that the CVs of each counsel available to download seem to be in more detail than you would normally expect, which I suppose can only be a good thing.

The website of Black Chambers is a latecomer to the field of advocates’ websites, but a very strong presence in that field already.

Maurice O’Carroll

www.mauriceocarroll.co.uk

Maurice O’Carroll is an advocate and member of Terra Firma Chambers (www.terrafirmachambers.com). He is also the brother of Derek O’Carroll, the former author of this web review. His website has a fairly “traditional” look to it and, like that of Jonathan Mitchell QC (see below), has a masthead on one of the pages featuring a panoramic view of Edinburgh. Of the two, Maurice’s photo is bigger and better.

The site is a very good one, and in particular the page offering articles and downloads is very useful – especially if you have an interest in planning or property law.

However, it does upset me to note that the pages headed “My Services” and “Frequently Asked Questions” are completely blank. It is possible that Mr O’Carroll has not been asked any questions frequently; curiously, there is another page, “Areas Covered”, where he sets out his specialisms.

Finally, the words “Maurice O’Carroll advocate and counsel Scotland” which appears in a standard font at the top of every page (I presume for search engine purposes) are probably unnecessary and look a little bit amateur and/or needy.

Laurence Kennedy

www.laurencekennedy.com

First, let me declare an interest in this website as I was involved in its recent update and redesign.

The website has much the same content as the old one, but has been redesigned and tweaked. It covers much of the same ground you would expect, including highlights from the areas in which Mr Kennedy practises, and a very useful section on “instructing counsel” which should be required reading for anyone instructing an advocate for the first time.

Laurence Kennedy is one of the few advocates who “tweets” and there is a prominent link to his twitter feed on every page (http://twitter.com/ advoc_8), where you can keep up to date with developments in his working and social life.

Jonathan Mitchell QC

www.jonathanmitchell.info

Jonathan was the first at the Scottish bar to have his own website, and now is the first to have their own proper blawg. Strictly speaking, Scott Blair (www.scottblairadvocate.blogspot. com) was the first, but he only managed three posts, back in 2005, before giving up altogether, so I’m not counting that.

The blawg is updated fairly regularly and has a number of followers from across the UK. During the recent furore over Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi’s release from prison on compassionate grounds, the three posts which appeared on this site were the subject of UK media comment, and some spirited debate among those who visit his site.

Beyond the blawg itself, the site also carries other pages of information, headed “Who”, “What”, “Where”, “When” and “How”. The “When” page is a Google calendar featuring the Court of Session term dates, Murray Stable (www.murraystable.com) events and some other selected legal events. The “How” page allows you to subscribe to the news feed, either by email or direct to your RSS news reader.

Also worth a mention is the old Jonathan Mitchell website. You’ll find the link on the right hand side about half the way down the page. As the title tag states, “now retired but still accessible”, and still worth a rummage around.

All of the content on this website can be reused under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 UK: Scotland Licence (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/scotland/) which, given that a certain Mitchell QC drafted the licence, seems only right and fitting.

Alan Melvin-Farr

www.alanmelvin-farr.co.uk

Alan Melvin-Farr is an advocate with the Mackinnon Stable. He is also a barrister and has set up his own chambers in London. This is the website of that chambers. The site is fairly basic and suffers from a few technical glitches. However, it certainly looks the part, so a few glitches we can forgive.