Eighth Floor · Garfield Barwick

About 8GB

8th Floor Garfield Barwick Chambers was established in 1979 and is located in the legal precinct at 53 Martin Place, Sydney.

Our members provide specialist advice in a diverse range of practice areas including Equity, Commercial Law, Corporations' Law, Insolvency, Trade Practices, Insurance, Intellectual Property, Professional Negligence, Building and Construction, Common Law, Administrative Law, Revenue (Taxation Law), Family Law, Industrial Law and Crime.

Members of the Floor have extensive practices in trial and appellate proceedings, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution.

Our barristers aim to provide high quality, practical advice to solicitors and clients and effective advocacy in whatever forums in which they appear.

Portrait of Sir Garfield Barwick QC, in High Court robes — painted by Brian Dunlop.
Sir Garfield Barwick AK GCMG PC QC Portrait by Brian Dunlop

Our namesake

Seventh Chief Justice of Australia · 1964 – 1981

Sir Garfield Edward John Barwick (1903 – 1997) was widely regarded as the foremost advocate at the Australian Bar of his generation. Admitted to the New South Wales Bar in 1927 and taking silk in 1941, he appeared with distinction in the High Court of Australia and the Privy Council across constitutional, commercial and revenue matters for more than three decades.

He served as Commonwealth Attorney-General and Minister for External Affairs in the Menzies governments, then as the seventh Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1964 to 1981 — the longest tenure of any Chief Justice to that point.

Chambers was established in 1979 and named in his honour, reflecting the values of independence, rigour and forensic clarity for which Sir Garfield was known.