Instructing a Barrister 

Professional, licensed access and/or lay clients are invited to contact the Practice Directors to obtain quotations for legal services, which can include representation in Court, advice in writing or in conference/via telephone. Members of Chambers generally undertake criminal and civil work with the emphasis on financial wrong-doing and asset recovery but individual members have additional areas of expertise and other instructions include regulatory, professional discipline and insolvency.

Quotes are generally calculated based on hourly rates and we are happy to agree fixed fees, capped fees, CFAs, DBAs (and other similar agreements) and global figures depending on requirements. Members of Chambers will generally require an instruction for a minimum fee based upon 5 hours of work at their hourly rate. If there are also expenses payable these will be discussed and agreed in advance. Any queries regarding fees or terms can be discussed with the Practice Directors prior to any costs being incurred. For Public Access clients all fees need to be agreed and paid in advance and information regarding fees, time-frames and further information will be contained within your Client Care letter which will be sent to you in advance.

Please note that all Members of Chambers are VAT registered and VAT numbers will be provided on all fee notes and receipts. These are also available from the Practice Directors on request.

The Practice Directors pride themselves on their approachability and flexibility so please do not hesitate to contact us via telephone or email or to arrange an face-to-face meeting should you have any queries.

We are committed to providing clients with realistic timeframes for completion of work and if for any reason these change we endeavour to keep clients fully informed. The Practice Directors stay fully appraised of barristers' commitments so can accurately inform clients of any issues which may impede speedy completion of work, including other professional or personal commitments. If necessary we can advise clients of other suitable barristers either in Chambers or not.

Following instruction, timescales for your case will be dependent on various factors, such as availability, the complexity of your case, the need for additional documents or information and other parties' actions. The Practice Directors will provide a timeframe on request for initial advice in conference or in writing which is normally completed within 2-4 weeks, subject to the factors mentioned above. Following the initial advice, further timeframes will be agreed with instructed counsel or the Practice Directors. If your case requires hearings in court, the Practice Directors will work closely with the listing officers at the relevant Court or Tribunal and will be able to provide information regarding Court/Judge availability with a view to fixing hearings for your convenience, as well as that of counsel, wherever possible.  

The Barristers' Register, a tool to search for barristers who are authorised to practice in England and Wales is provided by the Bar Standards Board and linked here.

Policy and Terms are available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact the Clerks should these be required.