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This information is provided for the use of our Public Access clients

Our Practice Areas in Public Access cases are:
  • Administrative, Housing & Local Government
  • Chancery ā€“ Land, Trusts & Probate
  • Commercial & Business Disputes
  • Crime
  • Employment
  • Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
  • Regulatory, Sports & Professional Discipline

We do not currently accept instructions in public access cases involving family law proceedings relating to children or financial disputes arising out of divorce, or in any immigration cases.

Please note that if you are eligible for public funding (legal aid) and wish to take advantage of this, you should approach a solicitor as barristers cannot do legal aid work unless they have been instructed by a solicitor.

If you think you may be able to obtain legal expenses insurance funding (perhaps, depending on the type of legal issue you have, on your car or home insurance policy) please carefully check the policy and any requirements it has – insurers normally have a panel of solicitors who do their legal work.

Public Access clients may contact Chambers to obtain a quotation for legal services by

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 counselā€™s fees. They will agree the basis on which counselā€™s fee will be charged. Quotations, in clear and understandable terms, will be provided in all cases where sufficient information has been provided. VAT is added to all fees.

By ā€œsufficient informationā€ 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 donā€™t make a charge for providing a fee quote.

We do not offer Public Access cases on any form of conditional, deferred or contingency fee basis.

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 will range between Ā£200 and Ā£300 plus vat per hour and will be confirmed, in advance, taking into account the nature of the case, the legal complexities and volume of paperwork involved, its complexity and the seniority (experience) of the barrister involved.

Fixed Fees

In advance of any work being done (eg advisory work, drafting or appearance in court), our clerks will agree a fixed fee (a set amount of money) for each piece of work and we will use counselā€™s hourly rate as a guideline for agreeing the fixed fee. That agreed fee must be paid before delivery of the work.

Brief and 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 counselā€™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.

Barristers in chambers are regulated by the Bar Standards Board.

You can search the Barristersā€™ Register on the Bar Standards Boardā€™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 Boardā€™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) ā€“ 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 LeOā€™s website, here.

This shows providers which received an ombudsmanā€™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).

Other service providers can be found using the following on-line tools:

And, for Public Access cases, visit:

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