Historically, the public could only access barristers through a solicitor. It was the solicitor who would have to instruct a barrister to represent their client, meaning the public were unable to gain potentially crucial advice from a legal expert. Recognising this problem, regulators decided to make a series of sweeping changes in 2009 and promptly changed the regulations in order to allow direct access barristers. Ever since, members of the public have been able to go to a barrister directly, which has a range of advantages, not least a potential saving of hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
Barristers operate as specialist advisers as well as advocates. The direct public access scheme makes public access barristers a possibility, meaning members of the public are fully entitled to deal directly with their barrister, cutting out the need to spend money on instructing a solicitor at the same time.
How direct public access helps
Direct public access allows you to take responsibility, should you wish, for all of the preliminary work yourself. That work may traditionally have been undertaken by a solicitor, so there are huge potential savings on offer should you wish to contact a barrister directly.
It also allows you to control the costs yourself. As standard, you will get a breakdown of the costs for every element of your case. This will be in the form of a contract between the barrister and yourself, meaning there is no possibility of you being charged for more than what has previously been agreed.
With a direct access barrister, you will be getting a specialist in your type of case. Whether it’s social media defamation, sexual harassment, a construction dispute, family law or another matter entirely, direct access allows you to go straight to an expert. That means you’ll get impartial and honest advice over how best to take your case forward. Due to the fact barristers will have undergone years of study in their specialist field, they will be able to quickly identify all the salient features of your problem and give you the specialist advice you need.
To instruct a direct access barrister to handle your case, obtain a free, no obligation quote from Barristers4u today.