Oracle founder claims plenty of interest
28 Sep 06
But sceptics think Scotland too small for breakaway advocates' chambers
As many as 75 advocates are considering joining the new Oracle Chambers, according to founder John Campbell QC.
Mr Campbell and fellow advocate John Carruthers set up Oracle Chambers in order to create a more modern, commercially responsive organisation than they feel is provided by Faculty Services Ltd, the service company of the Faculty of Advocates.
They want advocates to have greater access to specialist market areas such as personal injury cases or planning law, and to be able to market themselves in their chosen areas. Mr Campbell said that most of the interest in the new chambers had come from people who wanted to develop specialist practices in areasof civil litigation in areas such as tax law or insolvency law.
Mr Campbell and Mr Carruthers claim their new organisation would also be cheaper than the rates charged by Faculty Services Ltd. Advocates joining Oracle would still be members of the Faculty and subject to its code of conduct.
The Faculty company has responded by pointing out that it now offers various additional services such as collective telephone contracts, increasingly sophisticated computer backup, and consultation rooms. All advocates elect a chairman, currently Susan O’Brien QC, who is already planning to introduce structural changes to the company to allow advocates more say in the way they run their practices.
The Faculty currently has about 470 practising members. Individual advocates have suggested that Scotland is too small for a venture such as Oracle to be necessary, as advocates should be able to market themselves with what they do in court.
Ms O'Brien said that she believed that Faculty Services was tailor-made for the Scottish situation and enabled advocates to provide the most cost-effective service.