April 25, 2025
Red Lion Chambers is proud to announce Connor Coombs and James Piercy as the joint recipients of the 2025 RLC Conference Award, presented at the conclusion of the ICCA Bar Course.
The award, given twice annually, recognises outstanding student performance in the Conference Skills component of the Bar Course. This demanding assessment simulates a client conference in a criminal case, testing students’ ability to establish facts, assess legal options and provide realistic, empathetic advice under pressure. Both Connor and James delivered exceptional performances that demonstrated not only legal excellence but also a strong client-centred approach.
Connor Coombs, a Law graduate from the University of Exeter, has been actively involved in academic and extracurricular initiatives, including legal research, mentoring and editing the university law review. He is currently completing his LLM while teaching undergraduate law students. He said: “The Conference required me to establish rapport with a lay client involved in criminal proceedings, question them effectively to fully understand their situation and provide honest, reassuring advice. I was delighted to be named a joint winner of the Red Lion Chambers Conference Prize and am deeply grateful for Chambers’ ongoing support of aspiring barristers.”
James Piercy, who studied Law at the University of Nottingham, first found his passion for the Bar through school debating and went on to gain international experience at the Singapore International Mediation Centre. He recently led the Inner Temple team at the 2025 Willem C. Vis Moot. He commented: “The task became challenging when the actor portraying the client became angry and aggressive from the outset. During induction week, we were warned that Conference would be the toughest module—this proved true, but it also taught me the most about good advocacy.”
Gillian Jones KC, Co-Head of Chambers congratulated both students: “We are thrilled to recognise Connor and James as joint winners of this year’s Conference Award. Their performances reflect not only their individual skill, but their dedication to the craft of advocacy. We look forward to seeing their careers flourish at the Bar.”