Our History
22 Church Street, Newcastle, operating currently as Sir James Dowling Chambers, maintains one of the greatest legal legacies of any building in Newcastle.
Traceable back as far as at least the early 1960’s, the building has served as a chambers to many of the great legal minds Newcastle has produced.
During his time in Newcastle, former High Court Justice Michael Hudson McHugh AC QC kept chambers on the first floor of 22 Church Street. At the time, he shared the premises with a medical specialist on the ground floor and a tenant on the third floor. He had no clerk and paid the doctor’s secretary £1 a week to take telephone messages (per Bar News – Winter, 2004).
With the opening of the Family Law Courts building on Bolton Street, the 1980’s and 1990’s saw the genuine commencement of 22 Church Street as the type of chambers that it is today.
During those decades, such esteemed contributors to the Newcastle legal community as former District Court Judge Ralph Coolahan and Newcastle’s first Public Defender, Geoffrey James Graham continued to develop the legacy of 22 Church Street.
The late 1990’s and early 2000’s saw an influx of members of the Newcastle Bar. Several of those members, including Michael Bateman and Michael Graham would come to call Sir James Dowling Chambers home.
Perhaps the longest serving resident of chambers is Terry Bates.
Terry has contributed more than 25 years of service to the Bar, commencing in 1998, all of which has been served from 22 Church Street. Terry’s contribution to 22 Church Street is unlikely to be matched.
In recent years, 22 Church Street has taken in some of the newest members of the Newcastle Bar with the intention of continuing to contribute to what is already one of the longest and richest associations to the impressive legal history of Newcastle.
The members of Sir James Dowling Chambers have a steadfast and common interest in continuing to represent the traditions of 22 Church Street and to represent the community of Newcastle, and its surrounds, with the same measure of dedication and expertise as those who have done so from the building for the past 60 years.
Traceable back as far as at least the early 1960’s, the building has served as a chambers to many of the great legal minds Newcastle has produced.
During his time in Newcastle, former High Court Justice Michael Hudson McHugh AC QC kept chambers on the first floor of 22 Church Street. At the time, he shared the premises with a medical specialist on the ground floor and a tenant on the third floor. He had no clerk and paid the doctor’s secretary £1 a week to take telephone messages (per Bar News – Winter, 2004).
With the opening of the Family Law Courts building on Bolton Street, the 1980’s and 1990’s saw the genuine commencement of 22 Church Street as the type of chambers that it is today.
During those decades, such esteemed contributors to the Newcastle legal community as former District Court Judge Ralph Coolahan and Newcastle’s first Public Defender, Geoffrey James Graham continued to develop the legacy of 22 Church Street.
The late 1990’s and early 2000’s saw an influx of members of the Newcastle Bar. Several of those members, including Michael Bateman and Michael Graham would come to call Sir James Dowling Chambers home.
Perhaps the longest serving resident of chambers is Terry Bates.
Terry has contributed more than 25 years of service to the Bar, commencing in 1998, all of which has been served from 22 Church Street. Terry’s contribution to 22 Church Street is unlikely to be matched.
In recent years, 22 Church Street has taken in some of the newest members of the Newcastle Bar with the intention of continuing to contribute to what is already one of the longest and richest associations to the impressive legal history of Newcastle.
The members of Sir James Dowling Chambers have a steadfast and common interest in continuing to represent the traditions of 22 Church Street and to represent the community of Newcastle, and its surrounds, with the same measure of dedication and expertise as those who have done so from the building for the past 60 years.
Sir James Dowling
James Dowling was born in London on the 25th of November 1787. His father, Vincent, was a native of Queen’s County, Ireland. James was educated at St. Paul’s School, London. After leaving school he was associated with the daily press, and reported the debates in both Houses of Parliament. He was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple, 5 May 1815, and practised for many years on the home circuit and at the Middlesex sessions.
On 6 August 1827, he was named a Judge of the Court of New South Wales and arrived in the colony on 24 February 1828.
Early in 1829, in order to deal with a considerable number of persons who had been committed for trial, it was suggested that the Supreme Court should adjourn its criminal sitting from Sydney to Windsor, Campbelltown and Maitland. On 17 July 1829, Dowling J presided in the Union Inn Maitland, at the first sitting of the Supreme Court of New South Wales elsewhere than in Sydney.
Dowling became Chief Justice on the retirement of Sir James Forbes in July 1837, and was knighted the following year. He was described as “a painstaking Judge, a fluent speaker and shorthand writer, and a learned case lawyer.” As a member of the Legislative Council, he confined himself to legal topics. He injured his health by overwork; obtained leave of absence for two years; and died while making preparations to sail for England, at Darlinghurst, Sydney, on 27 September 1844.
