Darren Burrows

Darren is the Senior Clerk at One Essex Court.  He began his career as a barristers' clerk at One Essex Court in 1991 and now leads our clerking and administrative teams, with overall responsibility for the strategic management and development of members’ practices and Chambers business as a whole.

In addition to managing the Chambers and members’ practices at all levels, Darren retains direct responsibility for the day-to-day practice management of the King's Counsel in Chambers.  As such, he has a detailed knowledge and understanding of the specialist practice areas in which all members operate and an awareness of client expectations and needs.  He has a 'commercial' approach to fee negotiation and is willing to discuss progressive fee arrangements to suit differing client and case requirements.

Darren is assisted by a first class clerking and administration team, which includes: Jackie Ginty, the First Deputy Senior Clerk; Rob Smith the Deputy Senior Clerk; and Joanne Huxley, the Head of Administration.

He is member of the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks and the Inter-Pacific Bar Association.  In 2011 Darren was named in The Lawyer's Hot 100.

• What the Directories Say

  ‘Genuine strength in depth, led by the charming Darren Burrows.’

  "Darren Burrows, senior clerk, is really good. He is always helpful and candid about his barristers availability and suitability."

  "Darren Burrows, senior clerk, is always very pleasant and professional. He is commercial in his approach as well and gets what concerns solicitors and their clients."

  ‘Darren Burrows is a legend.’

  Senior clerk Darren Burrows "and his team at One Essex Court are excellent. They are ready to anticipate what you might need."

  ‘One Essex Court have an excellent senior clerking team in Darren Burrows and Rob Smith. Both are excellent.’

  ‘Darren Burrows is a highly efficient and considerate clerk. He reacts quickly and is able to provide suitable candidates to suit our client’s needs. He adopts flexible and commercial approach to fee arrangements, which set him apart from his peers at other leading chambers.’

  ‘The clerking team is superb. Darren Burrows is extremely responsive and always willing to go the extra mile to help.

  ‘First-class – especially Darren Burrows.’

  One of chambers’ strength is its ‘elite’ clerks’ room, which is ‘super responsive, always goes the extra mile’, and has ‘an unrivalled reputation for flexibility, honesty, and transparency’. ‘The quality of the clerking is second to none and I am reminded how good they are because I am invariably disappointed whenever I use another set,’ offered one solicitor. Senior clerk Darren Burrows runs the ‘honest and pragmatic’ team like ‘a well-oiled machine’.

  "Darren Burrows, their senior clerk, is incredibly proactive, incredibly user-friendly and honest as well. He's always been one of the most professional clerks and he insists on those standards. He's also just a really nice guy."

  "The clerks are superb: they're reactive, easy to get hold of and straightforward." "Chambers as a whole is generally very efficient and user-friendly, while the clerks are realistic and manage expectations effectively." Darren Burrows is the senior clerk and a man noted for his dedication and professionalism.

  On the practice management side, some say that the clerking here is 'probably the best of all the Magic Circle sets'. The clerks are 'personable, commercial and reliable', 'always willing to go the extra mile', and also 'reasonable and pragmatic on fees'. Darren Burrows is 'one of the best senior clerks in the business'.

  The "excellent" Darren Burrows heads up a stellar clerking team which earns impressive praise from clients. One source stated "I have to say, I have used the set more and more not just because of the barristers but because the clerks are extremely helpful. They are very responsive and much more attentive to clients' needs than most, and are open and frank about the strengths and skills of individual barristers. They are just very easy to deal with."

  'Senior clerk Darren Burrows is just very easy to deal with and he always calls you back. Among the big sets this is the best team.'

  The team, led by senior clerk Darren Burrows was praised by one commentator for being 'very responsive. When we were on a tight deadline the clerks came up with options for us...'

  'The clerks are utterly reliable. You know you can phone them up, explain your problems and they will solve them.' Darren Burrows is the highly respected senior clerk.

  “They’re very good. I use One Essex more than other commercial chambers largely because of their clerking team led by Darren Burrows. They don’t overbook or double-book and will helpfully liaise with the court for us.”

  Darren Burrows leads the clerking team at One Essex Court. “ The clerks there are absolutely superb. They’re first class, and look after us and our clients very well.”

  One solicitor said: “it is well known that they have one of the best clerking systems in place. On this side of the profession we appreciate modern clerking systems, and Darren Burrows and his team provide one.”

  Although the barristers were widely praised, it was the “standout clerks” at One Essex Court, seen by many to “set the standard for clerking,” that really shone. One solicitor stated that “clerking at One Essex Court is excellent; there is a seamless team there” that is “approachable, responsive, professional and reliable.” Senior clerk Darren Burrows sets the tone. He “provides an excellent service, is very solicitor-conscious and is someone you can have a frank chat with about the pros and cons of his barristers.” One content solicitor said: “Darren has a real sense of the level of service barristers should provide and he knows the importance of having a two-way relationship with firms of solicitors.”He runs a tight ship and ensures that there is a pricing structure in place which allows the set to be “creative in its fee solutions.” Such is the success of the clerking here that one observer mused: “I would suggest other chambers come to One Essex Court to see how proactive and communicative clerks can be.”

  Its success as 'a premier set for high-value, complex cases' is founded upon the fact that 'not only does it have fantastic barristers, but also clerks who are the best in the business.'

  Its individuals are up to any task and benefit from being well clerked. As one solicitor stated, 'the set has always had some of the best clerks at the Bar. They're efficient, personable and are poeple you can have an honest chat with. Interested in business development, they are light years away from the old-style clerks who were just a postbox for briefs.'

  'The clerking at One Essex Court is the best at any chambers. Darren Burrows runs things in a very modern and responsive way, and is a pleasure to deal with'.