It is now possible to contact a barrister directly rather than having to instruct through a solicitor. For certain types of cases, this arrangement is appropriate and advantageous, and can produce results with significant savings in money and time.
If you want to get in touch with a Direct Public Access Barrister at 5SAH, please contact our clerks here, where they will review your case and arrange a consultation with a barrister with the appropriate level of skill and experience.
Some of our direct public access barristers are also qualified to conduct litigation. This means that they can undertake some of the steps that you may have traditionally needed a solicitor to undertake. For a more in-depth discussion about this, please contact our clerking team to discuss if your case is suitable.
We recommend that you read the information contained on this Direct Public Access Page and also read the following documentation before you proceed:
- Bar Council – Instructing a Barrister
- Bar Council’s Barrister’s Register
- Bar Standards Board Direct Public Access Guidance for Lay Clients .PDF
- The Legal Ombudsman’s Decision Data
What is Direct Public Access?
Before 2004, members of the public and corporate clients could only instruct a barrister by first instructing a solicitor. Since 2004, members of the public and corporate clients have been able to obtain legal advice and representation from a barrister without having to go through a solicitor first. This is called Public Access / Direct Access.
What will it cost?
- Work can be undertaken at an hourly rate or we can quote you a fixed fee for particular pieces of work at various stages of your particular case.
- There may also be some additional costs generated by the litigation process itself (Court costs for example), which will be paid by the client and are separate to the costs of the Direct Public Access barrister.
- The cost will vary according to the seniority and experience of the barrister consulted, and the amount of work involved.
We recommend that you contact our clerking team, in order to obtain a quotation for the legal services that you require from your 5SAH Direct Access barrister.
You can find the details of our Direct Public Access fees and further information about the type of work we do in relation to:
- Family
- Immigration
- Road Traffic Act (RTA)
- All other work can be discussed in more detail with our clerks.
We undertake Direct Public Access work in relation to all of our practice areas at 5SAH.
How to procced
If you would like to discuss your Direct Public Access case further, please call our dedicated clerking team on +44 (0) 207 332 5400 to discuss the fees, work involved and the appropriate barristers to undertake the case.
