Legal Services
Direct Access
Clients would contract Jennifer in her personal capacity as a Barrister, and not through Safeguarding Today Ltd.
Jennifer Smith (Registered with the Bar Council as Jennifer Birch) qualified for direct access work in November 2019. The service offered allows members of the public and directors of businesses to work directly with a Barrister, to easily obtain a fixed fee quote and communicate with our clerking team.
Why Go Direct To a Barrister?
There are clear benefits to you in instructing a barrister directly:
- You will save money, as you’ll only be paying for one lawyer (a barrister as opposed to a barrister and a solicitor,
- You will deal directly with that specialist barrister throughout your case,
- You will be able to discuss the matter with them by phone, email, video link, or by any other agreed method you may choose,
- You get increased continuity as your case is being handled by one individual, not a firm,
- You’ll have no surprises as we have agreed fixed fees in advance of work being undertaken,
- You’ll have complete transparency on fees and you can keep control of your legal costs.
Next Steps
Direct Access Barristers are regulated by the Bar Council and the Bar Standards Board and have strict professional rules by which they abide, giving you the benefit of consumer protection and the backing of a professional conduct regime built up over centuries.
Only barristers who have achieved a specialist direct access qualification are allowed to work directly with clients.
If you’d like more information about how a barrister could work with you directly, you can look at the public direct access page on the Bar Council’s website or the guidance notes prepared by Bar Standards Board, by clicking the links:
5If you would like to speak to someone, please contact Kelly Wingham via [email protected].
The DA clerks will be able to discuss whether your case is suitable for public access and will be able to provide you with information on what specifically is required in order to prepare a meaningful estimate, after which a quote for the work will be provided within 14 days.
Please note the provision of a quote is not an acceptance of instructions. An acceptance of instruction is fixed upon the signing of a public access agreement. Where we provide a fixed price for a piece of work we will seek not to exceed the amount we have quoted without prior client authority.
On the acceptance of instructions, counsel will review the case to assess the number of papers to be reviewed, the complexity of the case, the need for additional information or documents and the approach being taken by the other side. The return date for completed work will then be subject to the upcoming availability of counsel, the client(s), relevant third parties and where appropriate the next suitable date for any court hearings.
Updates will be provided regarding expected timescales, including changes in circumstances which are outside of our control.
The Costs
Charges will vary from £250 to £500 (plus VAT) per hour and for most cases, we can provide a fixed-fee quote which may reduce the hourly rate and offer better value.
