Public Access

If you are a member of the public, you can instruct some of our barristers directly, without using a solicitor or other lawyer, under the Public Access Scheme.

Instructing a Public Access barrister can often save you money as you will only pay for one lawyer instead of two. However not all cases are suitable for public access work, and if you have legal aid you will still need to instruct a solicitor.

The Bar Standards Board has produced detailed information on the Public Access scheme for the public, which can be downloaded from their website.

You can also contact the clerks for more information. We will be happy to discuss your case, provide a quote for our services, and give details of how to instruct a barrister under the Public Access Scheme.

Fees and Timescales for Public Access cases

We normally charge fixed fees for all Public Access work. You can always contact the clerks to discuss fees and availabily before instructing a barrister. Some sample estimated fees for some of our services at the links below. The estimated fees do not include VAT. We will advise you if a fee has VAT added when we provide a quote for any service.

Please note that the fee ranges are estimates only. The exact fee we charge may vary depending on your needs – for example, your fees may be towards the higher end of the range if you need a more experienced barrister and/or you have a more complex case. If you have a particularly complex case or if the case is urgent, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below. Fees for hearings will also be higher if barristers have to travel long distances for the hearing.

All information is correct as of December 2021, but the indicated fees are estimates only. For a quotation, please contact the clerks.

Our barristers will generally try to fulfil instructions as soon as possible, but the timescales for any individual case may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the type and complexity of the case, the other side’s approach and court waiting times. Certain cases may have additional requirements or time limits, which we have tried to indicate in the relevant section below.