An interview with New Head of Chambers, Sarah Crowther QC

Outer Temple Chambers is delighted to announce that Sarah Crowther QC is our new Head of the Health Department and a Head of Chambers. CEO, Rebecca Priestley, asks her a few questions about her new role.

Sarah Crowther QC has been elected as Head of the Health Department and a Head of Chambers by her colleagues following the retirement of Christopher Gibson in September 2020. The result of this member vote marks the first female to hold a Head of Chambers position at Outer Temple Chambers.

Sarah was called to the Bar in 1999 and took Silk in 2018. Her promotion to Head of Chambers follows a difficult 6 months for everybody juggling work pressures and home demands during lockdown but, despite this, she is already focusing on the strategic plans of the leadership team which includes Andrew Spink QC, Head of the Business Department, Michael Bowes QC, Head of Governance and Andrew Short QC, Deputy Head of the Business Department.

Only last year, a new female CEO, Rebecca Priestley, was appointed. Rebecca is a former City HR Executive and senior lawyer, whose strategic vision for the set includes ambitious growth plans and modern and commercial client focused services. In this interview, Rebecca asks Sarah a few questions about her journey so far and her plans for the future of Chambers.

The interview

Sarah and Rebecca discussed what motivated Sarah to become a barrister and her career highlights so far. She also gives some tips to the younger generation of barristers working their way through the ranks, telling them to “Have a plan and be prepared to rewrite that plan.”

On being a female at the Bar, she says “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from…if you stand up and you know your case you will be judged on your advocacy rather than your gender, ethnic origin or social mobility”.

Rebecca and Sarah also discuss aspirations for Chambers in the future.

Finally, and something that should probably be included in all interviews, she reveals what she would take to a desert island.

Diversity in Chambers

Outer Temple Chambers is proud of the diversity of its members and leadership team. We are a Disability Confident, London Living Wage and Mindful employer. Rebecca Priestley is a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the City Mental Health Alliance (CMHA), an alliance of FTSE 100 financial services companies and City law firms, committed to the promotion of mental well-being in the City and destigmatising mental ill health.

Find out more

To find out more about Sarah Crowther QC please contact Paul Barton or Mark Gardner on +44 (0)20 7353 6381.

Webinars & Recordings 16 Sep, 2020