Twenty-four members of 4-5 Gray's Inn Square, including seven QCs, are set to join 39 Essex Street in a mass defection which represents nearly half the set.

Confirmation of the departures comes after the two chambers announced they were in "advanced discussions" about a possible combination under one brand earlier this month.

The move will take the total number of members at 39 Essex Street to 118, including 37 silks, and will significantly bulk up the set's public and administrative, environmental and planning, common law, commercial and regulatory and regulatory practices.