The chief executive of St Philips Chambers, Chris Owen, is set to leave the business prompting a management shake-up at one of the UK’s largest barristers’ sets.

Announcing Mr Owen’s departure the Birmingham city centre chambers revealed it had launched a sweeping review of its management and administration.

It said the review was in response to changes in the legal services marketplace and the departure Mr Owen.

Kevin Hegarty QC, head of chambers at St Philips, said: “Chris Owen’s move gives us the opportunity to take a close look at how chambers’ management and administration might evolve over the next five years.

“There continue to be dramatic changes in the legal services market, and St Philips has never been afraid to respond to those by breaking the mould.

“Our management team will take a close look at all aspects of the market and how we support our practice, and will bring forward an appropriate response to that in terms of how we run our business.”

Paying tribute to Mr Owen, Mr Hegarty added: ‘We are grateful to Chris for the way he has applied his qualities to chambers since he joined us in 2009 and we wish him well for the future.”

St Philips’ chief clerk Joe Wilson will take charge of the chambers’ running while the management review takes place.

St Philips is a multi-disciplinary set of 167 barristers with specialist groups in family, civil and crime.

No date has been revealed for Mr Owen’s departure.