Price, Service & Redress Transparency

Professional or licensed access clients may contact Chambers to obtain a quotation for legal services by:

• Telephone: 02920 382 731
• Email to: clerks@9parkplace.co.uk
• Post to: The Clerks, 9 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3DP

There are a number of different factors which may influence the timescales within which a barrister can provide legal services.

These include, but are not limited to:

• The particular requirements of the client
• The availability of the chosen barrister and his/her other diary commitments
• The stage of proceedings when instructions are first received
• The complexity of the case and the volume of material that will need to be reviewed
• The level of funding available
• The nature of the case and level of engagement from other parties involved in the case.

Our clerks are your point of contact to agree counsel’s fees. They will agree the basis on which counsel’s fee will be charged. Quotations, in clear and understandable terms, will be provided in all cases where sufficient information has been provided.

By “sufficient information” we mean that we are able to quote a meaningful range for the legal services in question. If more information is required in order to provide a fee quote, we will ask you to provide it.

Quotations will be provided within 14 days, unless you inform us that you require it sooner. We liaise with counsel before providing a fee quote and their availability is often limited due to other professional or personal commitments. If you do require a response sooner please let us know and we will discuss alternative solutions with you. We don’t make a charge for providing a fee quote.

Hourly Rates

Our clerks will advise you of the hourly rate (charging an amount of money per hour) applicable to any piece of work. This can be agreed in advance taking into account the nature of the case, the legal complexities and volume of paperwork involved and its complexity and the seniority (experience) of the barrister involved.

Fixed Fees

Our clerks are happy to agree fixed fees (a set amount of money) for any piece of work and we will use counsel’s hourly rate as a guideline for agreeing the fixed fee.

Capped Fees

In certain circumstances our clerks will suggest charging fees on a capped fee basis. This involves charging an amount of money per hour but agreeing in advance that the total amount will not be more than a set level.

Brief & Refresher Fees

These apply where court, tribunal or ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) hearings (eg: Mediation) are required. They are assessed and agreed taking into account the nature of the case and its legal and factual complexities together with the experience of the barrister instructed.

A brief fee would usually include all counsel’s preparation for trial and the fee for the first day in court. The refresher fee(s) are a fee, fixed in advance which will cover each subsequent day at the hearing, including ongoing preparation.

Conditional Fee Agreement

In a limited number of types of cases counsel would consider entering into a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) with solicitors. Please contact the clerks to discuss in the first instance.

Barristers in chambers are regulated by the Bar Standards Board.

You can search the Barristers’ Register on the Bar Standards Board’s website, here.

This shows (1) whether a barrister has a current practising certificate, and (2) whether a barrister has any disciplinary findings, which are published on the Bar Standards Board’s website in accordance with their policy. Alternatively, you can contact the Bar Standards Board on 020 7611 1444 to ask about this (or e-mail ContactUs@BarStandardsBoard.org.uk).

Our Complaints page (here) provides information about:

• Our complaints procedure;
• Any right you may have to complain to the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) – the independent body which can help you if you have complained to your lawyer and are not happy with their response;
• How to complain to LeO; and
• Any time limits for making a complaint.

You can also search the decision data on LeO’s website, here.

This shows providers which received an ombudsman’s decision in the previous 12 months, and whether LeO required the provider to give the consumer a remedy. Alternatively, you can contact LeO on 0300 555 0333 to ask about this (or e-mail enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk).