3PB Barristers Call us: 0330 332 2633 Barristers Clerks Expertise Locations Direct Access John Galsworthy John Galsworthy, the famous author of the ‘Forsyte Saga’, was the son of a City solicitor. He joined Chambers in 1894 at the age of 26. In those days a young barrister had to wait a long time for work and in one of his later novels, ‘In Chancery’ (1920), Galsworthy made a rather ironical reference to this when describing how Soames Forsyte, a solicitor and the central character of many of his novels, briefed junior counsel (i.e. those who were not QCs). Mr Soames only instructed barristers with established reputations and the junior barrister, Mr Bellby, had to wait for his work. It was something of a mystery to Mr Soames as to how barristers ever managed to establish themselves when initially not instructed by clients because of their inexperience. While waiting for briefs at 3 Paper Buildings (as Chambers was known then), Galsworthy took to writing fiction. In 1897 he had a collection of short stories, ‘From the Four Winds’, published under a pseudonym. The first novel of the Forsyte Saga, ‘The Man of Property’, was published in 1906. Perhaps Galsworthy was always to be a writer. In another of the Forsyte Saga novels, ‘To Let ‘(1921), Jolyon Forsyte - an artist - is trying to find a career for his son, Jon: ...he knew that Jon would never be a painter, and inclined to the conclusion that his aversion from everything else meant that he was going to be a writer. Holding, however, the view that experience was necessary even for that profession, there seemed to Jolyon nothing in the meantime, for Jon, but University, travel, and perhaps the eating of dinners for the Bar. ... Our Locations London: 020 7583 8055 | 3 Paper Buildings, Temple, London, EC4Y 7EU Birmingham: 0121 289 4333 | Colmore Building, 20 Colmore Circus, Queensway, Birmingham, B4 6AT Bournemouth: 01202 292 102 | 30 Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH1 3PD Bristol: 0117 928 1520 | Royal Talbot House, 2 Victoria Street, Bristol, BS1 6BB Oxford: 01865 793 736 | 23 Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2NP Winchester: 01962 868 884 | 4 St Peter Street, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8BW 3PB Barristers © 3PB 2021 Disclaimer Privacy Notice Complaints Procedure Terms of Business Regulated by the Bar Standards Board Website by Jask Creative This site uses cookies to store information on your computer. Some of these cookies are essential, while others help us to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. I AcceptI Do Not Accept Necessary Cookies Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as page navigation and access to secure areas. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences. Analytics Analytical cookies track the number of times a visitor has been to the site, how long a visit lasts, where visitors come from to arrive at the site, including which keywords were used in a search engine and which link was clicked on. About this tool (Opens in a new window) Cookie Control