You can instruct a Barrister via Direct Access by following these three easy steps...
Members of Chambers are pleased to accept instructions from members of the public in Family and Civil Law cases.
To instruct a Barrister via Direct Access, you cannot have solicitor acting on the court record for you. We are not able to accept cases that are funded by Legal Aid. All bookings are taken provisionally until fees have been paid in full.
Should we accept instructions to act or provide advice, we do so on the understanding that Counsels fees will be paid by bank transfer, in full, generally no later than 7 days in advance of the required instruction.
When instructing Counsel to appear as your advocate in a court case, Counsels fees do not include a Conference or initial conversation, but do include the Barrister you instruct, preparing your Position Statement for the hearing.
Working with a Barrister is different to working with a Solicitor. Our Barrister’s will not litigate in your cases, lodge documents or assist you with putting together a court bundle. We will not have management of your case on a daily basis and will only accept instruction to act on a hearing-by-hearing basis/per piece of work instruction.
Step 1 – Initial Enquiry
Please complete the enquiry form below, which will help our clerks to assess your matter that you require assistance with.Â
Once we have your details, a clerk will contact you as soon as possible, usually with 24 hoursÂ
Step 2 – Estimates and Quotes
If your case is suitable for Direct Access, you will be provided with Counsel available to deal with your case, and an estimate or quote for the cost of the work that needs to be carried out on your behalf. Â There will be times that we may require a copy of some specific court documents to be able to provide you with a quote rather than an estimate.
Step 3 – Contract and Payment
Once a Barrister with the correct specialism has been identified and their fees have been agreed with you, we will require the full court papers from you if you have not already provided them to us. These will include a copy of any documents filed at court and or, any relevant correspondence with the other side. This will also include your typed instruction.
Please note that only accept documents in Word, PDF, Excel or MP3 formats.
We will also request a copy of some photographic identification from you, confirming your personal details as provided in your enquiry.
We will also send you your Barrister’s Client Care Letter confirming the terms of the instruction which covers the remit of work to undertaken and their fees, along with a supporting invoice with payment information.
The Client Care Letter forms the contract between you and your Barrister, and it is legally binding. No work will be undertaken until full payment has been made. Please note we cannot hold client funds on account.
Download Guidance for Lay Clients from the Bar Standards Board