Press the Online button during office hours to talk in livechat direct to a Barrister.
Frequently Asked questions on Direct Access?
1. Who do you work for?
I am a self employed Barrister with the Barrister Group https://thebarristergroup.co.uk my chambers. I am regulated by the Bar Standards Board.
2. How are fees paid?
I provide all my direct access work through Clerksroom direct – https://www.clerksroomdirect.com. They provide services of taking all my payments, booking hearings in my diary and sending client care letters on direct access cases.
3. How are fees quoted?
I need to see a copy of the papers you require me to review and a short synopsis of the legal problem or query. I will then provide a email with the review of the work required and a fixed fee quote. The level of fee depends upon the level of work required, time to complete it and complexity of the case.
4. How are fees quoted for litigation?
I usually need to provide a fee quote for an initial review of papers and I can then usually provide a fixed fee quote for the whole matter through to final hearing. On litigation cases we bill the case in stages so all the fees to conclusion are not paid up front.
5. How can you conduct litigation?
As a barrister I have authorisation from the BSB to conduct litigation. I use electrotonic case management and document systems to organise cases. I only run small volumes of cases at once so clients get a good level of attention and regular updates.
6. Do you offer free consultations?
I am always prepared to have a short initial call to understand the issue but we don’t offer any advice on a first call.
7. Can you offer ATE insurance ?
I cannot advise on ATE insurance products but I can refer to you a broker who can provide a quote and I can assist to complete the forms.
8. Do you complete work under an LEI policy?
Yes we do some cases as long as the insurer is prepared to agree payment of our fixed fees. We do not work on LEI hourly rates.
9. Can you complete a one off piece of work?
Yes, under direct access, on a regular basis I can assist with a one off piece of work such as drafting advice or attending a hearing. I have some clients who do their own litigation and instruct me on the more complex parts such as the defence, or final hearing.
10. Does your litigation service include everything?
Yes we include all the work in the scope of the retainer including emails/ calls/ letters to the client and all parties. If an unexpected event occurs in the litigation that requires additional work we had not foreseen such as an application we will quote a fixed fee for anything further. There are no hourly charges beyond fixed fees agreed.
11. Can you undertake mediation?
Yes I am instructed on a regular basis to attend meditations for clients and prepare these. I can recommend mediators.
12. Can you pay disbursements for me?
No, I do not hold a client account so disbursements such as court fees and experts fees are paid direct by the client.
13. Can you help prepare costs claims in litigation?
Yes, I have a costs lawyer I work with on a regular basis to draft these.
14. Can you recover the costs I pay you?
This depends on the type of case and whether it is a fixed fee case or not. I have a guide to direct access cases which can be found on this link-
15. What if I need to complain?
My chambers TBG operate a full complaints process which can be found here:- https://thebarristergroup.co.uk/complaints
16. How can I send my papers to you?
All papers can be uploaded to the website or can be emailed to us on a link. All client papers are treated confidentially.
17. If I get a quote am I obliged to accept it?
No all quotes are on a no obligation basis and we only proceed to work on the case once the fee has been paid and we have sent a client care letter.
18. Should I instruct a Solicitor?
This is a matter of client choice and you should shop around for quotes. We generally find as we have lowe overheads we are cheaper than a Solicitor and many clients therefore use a direct access Barrister for litigation.
19. Can you instruct an expert for me?
Yes if im acting in litigation I can recommend and instruct t an expert but the client must pay the expert directly. I have a few experts I use that are happy with this.
20. How do I instruct you?
Please use the instruct me link on the homepage and we can provide a quote. We just need a short summary of the problem and the main documents to provide a fixed fee quote which is usually done the same day or next day following a query.