Barristers Role

There are two branches to the English legal profession and their roles are quite distinct. A solicitor conducts litigation. He or she will write letters, interview witnesses, collect and collate evidence, issue proceedings, instruct experts and handle client money. By contrast, the barrister will direct operations: advise on law and tactics, produce written opinions, draft formal documents for service by the client or by a solicitor and appear in court.

A barrister is a problem-solver. He or she will be analytical, sorting good points from bad ones at an early stage of a dispute. This enables the client to get a decent grasp of the important points with their case. With experience, a barrister will have developed a feel for what a Judge is likely to think and say about a particular argument. This assists the barrister to give objective, independent and practical advice. A good barrister will guard against pursuing any course of action without a careful assessment of risks including costs.

If I am unavailable (because I am already booked for a court hearing) or if there is a conflict of interest (because I know one of the parties in the case), I will refer you to another public access barrister or to a solicitor. If at any stage I feel that it would be in your best interests or the interests of justice for you to instruct a solicitor, I cannot act for you. My clerks will refer you to a suitable solicitor, and if you wish, the solicitor can then instruct me.

I pride myself on providing an efficient service – normally two weeks for paperwork, unless it’s urgent or especially long or complicated. You can contact me by telephone (via my clerks on 02380 320320);   if I am in court or out of the office I will normally return your call within 24 hours. I prefer to work by email and will not charge you for a long advice where a short paragraph will do just as well. My advice will be clear and practical - not full of legal jargon.

When we need to meet (have a Conference) this can be at my Chambers in Southampton, or at another convenient venue. I reside in London and carry out a lot of work in and around the capital as well as the neighbouring counties.

I do not undertake criminal, family or immigration work. I am unable to take legal aid work or no-win-no-fee work under the public access rules.

It will usually be cheaper to instruct a barrister directly than to use a solicitor of equivalent experience. This is because under public access, you will carry out much of the routine work yourself, rather than paying a solicitor (or their assistant) to do it for you. If at any stage I think it is in your best interests to instruct a solicitor for part of the work (e.g. because it would be more cost effective) I will tell you so – this is my professional duty.

I will quote a fixed fee for paperwork, conferences and court hearings rather than charging by the minute. Usually, my clerks will arrange my fees with you. In each case, the fee will depend on the amount of preparation required, the value of any claim, whether it is urgent and how complicated the matter is. However, please remember - under the public access scheme you only pay for the barrister, not the solicitor as well.

I will always ask you to check whether you can get funding for legal costs from anywhere else.

Public Access Scheme

In many civil matters, barristers can receive direct instructions (without the need for a solicitor) from businesses and members of the public and provide them with legal advice and representation at courts and tribunals. Consequently, there is a considerable cost saving to be made.

I am a member of the largest independent set of barristers chambers in Central Southern England. Public Access Barrister

I am able to advise you about the strength of your case and how you should progress it. I can do this in writing or by meeting you. I can draft documents for you to use in proceedings such as statements of case. I can appear for you at court or in a mediation. I may be able to negotiate with the other side for you. I can draft non-contentious documents, such as standard contractual terms. I can also write letters for you to sign and send to the other side. I have been able to provide useful advice with only an hour's work on simple matters. Should I take on your case, I will provide you with a time-frame for the work and do my utmost to adhere to that.

I am a member of Chambers at 12 College Place and attend court hearings throughout England.  However, I normally charge for travelling time and it could prove uneconomic to instruct me to appear in court a long way away. Of course, for paperwork and advice by telephone or email, it makes little difference where the dispute occurred.

My fees will vary depending on the nature of the work and the amount in issue. I keep my rates to well below those charged by litigation partners in the large firms of solicitors. My clerks will always quote either an hourly rate or fixed sum before taking on a piece of work. If I am asked to advise on a specific problem I will usually be able to give a definite figure in advance. For matters where the amount of time I spend will partly depend on factors beyond my control I may only be able to give an estimate.

Since barristers' overheads are less than solicitors, we have traditionally been able to charge lower hourly rates than comparably experienced solicitors. Often much of the work that would be done by a solicitor, such as photo-copying and collating documents you should be able to do yourself. Some people will prefer to have all the work, however basic, done by a professional in which case they may be better off using a solicitor.

Barristers still work closely with solicitors in those cases which are not suitable for Public Access. They may also recommend a solicitor to you for some stages of a Public Access case, such as issuing and serving claims, instructing experts, handling your money or interviewing witnesses. However, there is much work that barristers can conduct for you before it becomes necessary to instruct a solicitor. Direct Access

The list below is not intended to be complete, but if your situation falls into one of the following categories you should be able to instruct me on a Public Access basis:

• You are involved in a case before a court or tribunal;
• You are engaged in correspondence with the other side and require assistance;
• You require representation at court or tribunal;
• You require legal advice and analysis including prospects of success for your case;
• Your case is concerned with points of law;
• Your case is not contentious and you require advice or drafting of a document;
• You would like to obtain a second opinion;
• You would like some initial drafting carried out prior to commencing proceedings;
• You would like to negotiate with the other party;
• You would like to avoid getting embroiled in litigation;
• You would like to initiate Mediation as a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution;
• You would like to appeal a decision.

Many members of recognised professional bodies (including CIPD) are entitled to instruct me directly.

My practice as a barrister includes: Barrister Direct

• Advocacy and representation in the County Court, High Court and various Tribunals;
• Advocacy and legal submissions on paper;
• Written and oral legal and tactical advice;
• The drafting of documents for court and for use in litigation, such as Particulars of Claim, a Defence, Counterclaims, Letters before Claim, Witness Statements and Notices of Appeal;
• The negotiation of settlements; and
• The drafting of commercial and other agreements for use by businesses and individuals.