Oracle Chambers has now been in business since 1 May 2007

Frustrated by the difficulties they faced in expanding and marketing their services, John Campbell QC and John Carruthers decided to form Oracle Chambers. This reappraisal of their business went very much against the traditional orthodoxy of the Scottish bar.

Noting this change, and with no hint of irony, the Lawyer Magazine commented, "The Scottish bar has always been a little more traditional than its English counterpart, but the market is to be shaken up following the announcement in October last year of a brand new set of chambers. John Campbell QC and John Carruthers, both advocates ... will be splitting off later this year to establish Oracle Chambers. Oracle is to be modelled on English sets, with a clerk and business development manager... The move is a step into the unknown and shows remarkable forward thinking on the part of Campbell and Carruthers. They anticipate that Scotland will follow England and Wales into more liberalised legal services and they want to be ahead of the game."

We are pleased to note that the risk has been worth it and we have enjoyed significant success since.

In 2009 John Carruthers left the Scottish bar and now practices as a solicitor advocate retaining his full rights of audience in the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary.

John Campbell Q.C. is regulated by the Faculty of Advocates. John Carruthers is regulated by the Law Society of Scotland.

Practice management

Oracle’s Manager can be contacted on 0845 310 1760 . Diary arrangements may be made with the Manager, or with either of us directly.

Contacting counsel, instructions and papers

We prefer to be contacted directly. Instructions may be emailed or posted, in the first instance, to our home offices. This will ensure that we are able to respond quickly and effectively to your instructions.

Direct Access

John Campbell QC is already instructed by a large number of clients who are entitled to and do instruct him under the Faculty of Advocates Direct Access rules . These clients include Town and Country Planners, surveyors, charities and a number of international companies. Whether for one-off projects or longer term support we are able to provide your organisation with a high quality, flexible and responsive service which will meet many of its legal service requirements.

John Carruthers is available for consultation with other professionals. In the first instance he is always prepared to discuss cases informally and without obligation.


Consultations

Please contact us directly to arrange consultations. Subject to our availability, we are flexible as to where we meet, with access to consulting facilities in Edinburgh, Inverness, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds and London.

Feeing

We will be delighted to discuss feeing arrangements with you and in advance of receiving instructions. We are always willing to consider papers on a non-obligatory basis. We are always willing to consider a variety of feeing arrangements dependent upon your needs and the demands of the case.

And Finally ... Our Philosophy

We are approachable, commercial and flexible and we actively encourage feedback on how we can improve our services.