In Conversation with Sir Nicholas Green & Helen Davies KC

25/03/25

In this episode, Helen Davies KC talks to Sir Nicholas Green (Green LJ). Their wide-ranging discussion of life in practice, at Brick Court and beyond takes in: 

• the early days of “making” European law (Factortame and beyond) - “a period of enormous excitement”;
• dealing with government, both as Chair of the Bar (the degree of access afforded vs influence achieved; dealing with increased regulation and the austerity budgets) and as Chair of the Law Commission - “the best job in the judiciary; pretty central to government” (dealing with Brexit and the logjam in government that brought);
• the development and modernisation of chambers, and the experience of being Head of Chambers - “herding cats”; 
• the work life balance (“young lawyers need to get a life”). 

Sir Nicholas Green is a Lord Justice of Appeal and Chair of the Law Commission.
After swimming for England and a career in academia, Nick Green was called to the bar in 1986, and joined Brick Court Chambers in 1990. Practising predominantly in European and competition law, public and constitutional law, he took silk in 1998. He was Chair of the Bar in 2010, and Joint Head of Chambers from 2011 until he went to the High Court Bench in 2013. In 2018, he was promoted to the Court of Appeal, and appointed as Chair of the Law Commission.

Helen Davies KC is Joint Head of Brick Court Chambers.
Helen Davies was called to the bar in 1991, joining Brick Court as a pupil in 1992. Her practice encompasses much of the breadth of Brick Court’s work, from heavy commercial litigation to competition law and Euro work. She took silk in 2008, and became Joint Head of Chambers in 2013 - one of the first female heads of a magic circle set.

Links to organisations discussed: 
The Bar Council 
The Law Commission 
The Advocacy Training Council and its toolkits