Exchange Chambers in Liverpool appoints leading King’s Counsel as its new head of chambers. Tony McDonough reports

Leading King’s Counsel (KC) Will Waldron is named as the new head of chambers at Exchange Chambers.

Will takes on the role from Bill Braithwaite KC. Bill has served as head of Exchange Chambers for around 30 years, making him one of the longest serving leaders across the entire legal sector.

Under his guidance, Exchange has grown from a small single-site Liverpool-based set to a full-service northern operation with more than 200 barristers in Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds.

A leader in the field of serious personal injury, Will was called to the Bar in 1986 and took silk in 2006.

He is a Bencher of Gray’s Inn, was Chair of Northern Circuit Advocacy Training (2010 – 2020), was Deputy Chair of the internationally renowned Advocacy Training Council, and in 2016 was appointed as deputy governor of its successor, the Inns of Court College of Advocacy.

He has more than 20 years’ experience of teaching advocacy skills to young barristers and is an assessor of advocacy trainers.  Will is a long-standing member of Exchange Chambers’ Management Board.

Will said: “Bill Braithwaite has been head of Exchange Chambers for over a quarter of a century. His leadership has played a massive part in our success.

“Bill had a clear vision for the development of chambers and he set about turning that vision into a reality and establishing Exchange as one of the leading chambers in the country.  He was, and remains, a force to be reckoned with on every level.

“I see it as a privilege and an honour to take over as head of chambers.”

Will is based in Liverpool and will be assisted by three deputies for his initial three-year term – Ben Myers KC, Giles Maynard-Connor KC and Chris Barnes KC.

Bill Braithwaite added: “It is a pleasure to pass the baton on to Will. He is hugely passionate about Exchange and is widely admired by our membership.

“I started my involvement with the management of chambers about 40 years ago. We were 15-strong then with one small office in Liverpool.

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“But even so long ago it was obvious to me that the profession would need to up-date significantly simply to stay alive and relevant; that conviction has driven us forward for all the years since then, and has informed our strategy.”

And paying tribute to Bill, Exchange Chambers chief executive Jonathan I’Anson, said: “Bill has been the driving force for our organisation through a period of huge change.

“His tenure has been an extraordinary success and he leaves a fantastic legacy. From a personal perspective he has provided great support in my role as chief executive.”