Nick Joined Serle Court as a result of the merger between Serle Court and 1 Hare Court in 2000. Nick started as a junior clerk in 1991, was promoted to Senior Clerk in 2006 and to Practice Director in 2023. Nick can advise on the full spectrum of client services with key responsibilities being the distribution of work, fee negotiation and developing the practices of members of chambers. He has excellent relationships with the listing departments in the High Court. In 2014 Nick was one of the first clerks to achieve the Level 5 diploma in Leadership and Management from the Institute of Leadership and Management.

What the directories say: 

• "The clerks are always responsive, constructive and helpful. Nick Hockney and Dan Wheeler are very supportive and understanding of the cost pressures we face as solicitors." Chambers & Partners, 2025
• "The clerks led by Nick Hockney are excellent. They are always on hand to solve issues and ensure that work is delivered to clients on time." Chambers & Partners, 2025
• "The clerks led by Practice Directors Nick Hockney and Daniel Wheeler are excellent. They are always on hand to solve issues and ensure that work is delivered to clients on time." Chambers & Partners, 2025
• "Practice director Nick Hockney is brilliant. He is very funny and knows his business." Chambers & Partners, 2025
• "Practice directors Dan Wheeler and Nick Hockney are both brilliant clerks with a really high level of professionalism and experience." Chambers & Partners, 2025
• "The clerks at Serle Court are a pleasure to deal with. Practice directors Charlie Payne and Nicholas Hockney are highly responsive clerks, always willing to be of assistance when you make enquiries." Chambers & Partners, 2025
• "Practice directors Nicholas Hockney and Dan Wheeler provide a fantastic service." Chambers & Partners, 2025
• "Nick Hockney is excellent. He is very supportive and understanding of cost pressures." Chambers & Partners, 2025
• "Charlie Payne and Nick Hockney are the best at what they do - offering access to the set, flexibility and responsiveness whenever required and managing with humour and charm." Legal 500, 2025
• "Daniel Wheeler and Nick Hockey are excellent and helpful." Legal 500, 2025
• "Nick Hockney is a very friendly, timely and experienced clerk." Legal 500, 2025
• "I have always found the clerks to be helpful and responsive. I have dealt with both Nick Hockney and Arron Snipe and have found them to be equally helpful and responsive." Legal 500, 2025
• "Nick Hockney is fantastic - he always gets the job done." Legal 500, 2025
• "Nick Hockney is the best clerk at the Bar! He is quick to respond, very commercial and helpful in ensuring clients get the right person for the job." Legal 500, 2025
• "Nicholas Hockney, Daniel Wheeler and Arron Snipe are excellent and extremely responsive, offering a 24/7 service." Legal 500, 2025
• "They understand commercial imperatives for the matters and never have any issue with them.''Nicholas Hockney is outstanding." Legal 500, 2025
• "The clerks here are what other chambers should aspire to. Well led by Nicholas Hockney, they are responsive, commercial and really helpful." Legal 500, 2025
• "Clerks are user-friendly, commercial and easy to work with. Charlie Payne and Nicholas Hockney are stand-outs." Legal 500, 2025
• "Serle Court has great clerks, who can make magical things happen. Nick Hockney and Charlie Payne, practice managers, are really user-friendly and good at what they do." Chambers Global, 2024
• "The set is in very good hands with Nick Hockney and Dan Wheeler." Legal 500, 2024.
• Nick Hockney is outstanding." Legal 500, 2024.
• "The clerks are extremely capable, friendly and efficient, particularly Nick Hockney and Dan Wheeler." Legal 500, 2024.
• "The clerks provide excellent service. Nick Hockney, in particular, is responsive, personable and visible." Legal 500, 2024.
• "Daniel Wheeler and Nick Hockney are real assets for the set." Legal 500, 2024.
• "Nick Hockney, Daniel Wheeler and Emma Quin are particularly good." Legal 500, 2024.
• "Nick Hockney is an experienced clerk who develops an excellent rapport with solicitors, and Daniel Wheeler is bright and responsive." Legal 500, 2024.
• "Nick Hockney offers great service. He is commercial, user-friendly and extremely responsive." Legal 500, 2024.
• "Nick Hockney and Charlie Payne are both excellent, always willing to help with listing and documents." Legal 500, 2024.
• "He's incredibly approachable, has good communication skills and you know where you stand with him. It's a pleasure to work with him." Chambers Global, 2023
• "Nick Hockney, senior clerk, is talented, very helpful and very proactive." Chambers & Partners, 2022.
• "The clerks at Serle Court are outstanding – especially Steven Whitaker, Nicholas Hockney and Daniel Wheeler." Legal 500, 2022.
• "Nick Hockney will bend over backward for me, always charming and always at the end of a phone." Legal 500, 2022.
• "The clerks are good, in particular Steven Whitaker and Nick Hockney are always very helpful." Legal 500, 2022.
• "Nick Hockney is always charming and will go the extra mile for me." Legal 500, 2022.
• "makes the effort to know the market properly and is very well informed". Legal 500, 2020.
• "among the best clerks in the business’ – ‘unfailingly helpful, constructive and creative". 
• "really good in terms of availability".
• Go-to "senior clerk Nick Hockney, who is charming and responsive to queries".

In his spare time, Nick enjoys spending quality time with his 3 children alongside gardening, fishing, and golf.