In 2001, a group of Advocates recognised that there was a migration of businesses from the Pretoria Central Business District (CBD) to the east of Pretoria. This migration resulted in a demand for more accessible legal services outside of the Pretoria CBD. Attorneys and their clients wished to eliminate the cumbersome need of having to travel into the CBD of Pretoria.
At the time all the members of the Pretoria Society of Advocates (Pretoria Bar) were required to occupy chambers in one building in the CBD of Pretoria. It was decided that the necessary permission would be obtained from the Pretoria Bar Council to establish separate chambers in the east of Pretoria. Permission was granted and a suitable site in the Brooklyn business node was identified. The establishment of a separate chambers outside of the Pretoria CBD was unprecedented at the time for the Pretoria Bar.
Construction of the custom-designed building commenced in 2001, and in a first for the Advocates' profession in South Africa, sixty Advocates of the Pretoria Bar made a financial commitment to the project and successfully acquired ownership of their building.
The Brooklyn Advocates’ Chambers opened in 2002, and members took occupation of their chambers in the same year. In addition, over the ensuing years, four separate groups of Advocates followed Brooklyn Advocates’ Chamber’s example and established chambers in the east of Pretoria.
Of all the Advocates’ Chambers affiliated with the Pretoria Bar, Brooklyn Advocates’ Chambers therefore holds the title of the oldest and most established advocates’ chambers outside of the CBD of Pretoria.