FAQ

Direct access enables you to work directly with a barrister rather than going to a solicitor first. See the barrister as a tool that parachutes into your case at a time that you need it.

Who Barristers can accept Instructions from

• Solicitors, other authorised litigators, employed barristers and legal advice centres and clinics in England (known as Professional Clients).
• European lawyers registered with the Law Society and qualified from other jurisdictions
• Licensed professionals in the UK, under the Licensed Access scheme.
• Individuals from other jurisdictions, companies and members of the public (‘lay clients’) under the Public Access scheme (sometimes also referred to as direct access, see here(link)

My chambers practice management team Clerksroom Direct (‘clerks’) receive and manage my instructions. They are happy to answer questions about potential instructions. Professional, licensed access or lay clients may contact me or Clerksroom Direct to obtain a quotation for legal services and discuss suitability and availability. The clerks aim to provide such a quotation promptly, and certainly within the 14 day period indicated by the BSB.

Compare CV and expertise and decide who will best look after YOUR interests

You might instruct a barrister directly to do the following:

• Give you written advice after reviewing your documents
• Give you advice in conference, face- to face, on the phone or by skype
• Represent you at court at a hearing or at a settlement conference or a mediation
• Working directly with a barrister is appropriate when you can handle the administrative side of things yourself, it enables you to direct your finance resource at the court hearing, that you might otherwise conduct yourself, giving you a better chance of getting the outcome you desire.

Not all matters are appropriate for going straight to a barrister. If your case is complicated and involves collecting evidence from various witnesses, or taking opinions from a number of experts, it may be more sensible for you to instruct a solicitor to do this on your behalf. If you need someone to undertake all the administrative work for you then a solicitor may be more appropriate for you. Please see the note on legal aid to see if you may be eligible for legal aid for your matter.

See the link below to assess if you qualify for legal aid, you will be directed to the government website and will be asked some questions related to your legal problem and financial situation.

See this link to find out:
Legal aid calculator civil matters https://civil-eligibility-calculator.justice.gov.uk/

Legal aid calculator criminal matters https://www.gov.uk/guidance/criminal-legal-aid-means-testing

The date order earliest to the latest in A4 paper scanned:

• Applications to the court and orders made by the court
• Statements and other papers filed at court
• Correspondence with the other side, and
• Anything else relevant

Have a brief summary of your case, issues and questions you would like the barrister to advise on at the start of bundle, name the parties, the children involved and ages, the court case reference and court that the case is heard.

We cannot assist you in taking on legal aid cases and or to check your eligibility for legal aid.

All work under public access is done on a private basis.
The cost involved will depend on the complexity of your case, amount of work involved, type of hearing, amount of papers you have, as this affects the reading time and level of preparation that needs to be done before the hearing.

We strive to be open about costs, it impossible to give guidelines on costs for all types of hearings/ matters. You will be provided a quote which will either be on a fixed fee, hourly rate, day rate ( brief fee/refresher basis) subject to what is most cost effective. Vat for Direct Public Access client will not be charged.