Tag: Solicitors

Why instruct a criminal barrister over a solicitor?

If you are facing serious allegations, including those of sexual assault, serious road traffic offences, fraud or other white collar offences, a direct access barrister might be the solution you are looking for. Normally, barristers may only be instructed by solicitors; however, direct access barristers allow you to instruct them directly, saving you time and money whilst obtaining a premium service. But how exactly could a direct access barrister help you? This post looks at some of the ways in which one of our direct access barristers could offer you a superior service to a regular lawyer.

Criminal law expert barristers

Many of our direct access barristers are criminal law and procedure experts. They have worked on some of the most complex criminal cases, and when the going gets tough, they are not afraid to fight for you. Instructing a direct access barrister over a solicitor will generally provide you with access to a professional with more experience in the courtroom and greater understanding of the case law which might help win your case.

Strategy

Criminal barristers will begin working on your case from the outset, aiming to understand as much about the circumstances surrounding the case as possible. Your barrister will then develop a high-level strategy to ensure every avenue is explored, taking advantage of every opportunity to get you the results you need. When it comes to serious criminal cases, drafting an excellent defence statement is crucial. Only a specialised criminal barrister will understand the intricacies involved in ensuring your statement works in your favour.

Insight

As a criminal barrister is specialist and experienced, they will have a full understanding of what is required in the courtroom to win your case. This includes niche case knowledge, specialist evidence requirements, and even how best to present your specific circumstances. This will include making a robust statement of mitigating circumstances and any exceptional hardship you might experience as a result of a custodial sentence.

Why choose a criminal barrister over a criminal lawyer?

Your reputation and your liberty are important to you and your family. It is essential you get the best strategy, advice and representation you can. Amongst our directory of barristers are some the most experienced criminal law case experts, determined to help each and every one of their clients keep their licence. Don’t just instruct any legal professional, get in touch to find out how we can help get you the best.

Who is cheaper – a barrister or a solicitor?

Whether you’re looking to clear up a construction issue, a family dispute or looking for someone to handle your divorce, a lot of the time the primary consideration is cost. The legal system can be notoriously expensive, especially if your case involves a lot of work and a lot of hours. That’s why it makes sense to seek out the most cost-effective solution to your problem, but which solution is cheaper, a solicitor firm or direct access barristers?

What’s the difference?

The first thing to remember is that barristers and solicitors are both lawyers, but they are different types of lawyer thanks to their training and expertise. In England and Wales, the legal system is ‘split’, meaning there is a division of labour between solicitors and lawyers.

One key difference is that solicitors are not self-employed whereas barristers are. That means a barrister is not permitted to form a company or a partnership. Instead they are sole traders, and thanks to changes in the regulations over the past decade, public access barristers with all sorts of legal expertise are available to hire by the public directly. Using a barrister means clients will have access to a specialist in a particular area of law. Whilst it’s true that solicitors sometimes do specialise in a certain area, primarily they are litigators. This involves conducting meetings with the client, working out a case, carrying out communications with the solicitors on the other side as well as sorting out any paperwork.

Barristers spend more time in court than solicitors and are the ones who deal with witnesses as well as give evidence to the judge. Whereas it’s still commonplace for a solicitor to come to court in order to support a barrister, either by having files to support a barrister’s case or by taking notes, more and more barristers are attending court without the aid of a solicitor. This is because it’s more cost-effective for the client.

Why are barristers more cost-effective?

A barrister is usually the most cost-effective way of going through the legal system because they are paid by their work. A solicitor meanwhile will charge by the hour. When you pay a barrister, you are only paying for what you need, such as their expertise and time. With a solicitor, however, you’re paying additional costs which contribute towards the running of a solicitor’s office.

It’s highly likely that the most cost-effective solution to your legal problem is direct access barristers. In order to receive quotes from highly qualified barristers who will specialise in the area of law you need help in, enter your details at Barristers4u. Remember, getting a quote is completely free and you only pay once the barrister has been directly instructed by you.

How has the recent changes to provision of legal services affected your purchase of legal services?

Accessing a lawyer or any kind of legal aid is, for many of us, a scary decision. These are the people that know The Rules. You know the ones, The Rules to living life which we are all overly cautious to avoid breaking. Sure, maybe we’ve broken one or two minor ones accidentally—just a few miles per hour over the speed limit when we’re stressed from a long day at work, or perhaps left the store having forgotten to pay for a chocolate bar, only to realise once you’re at home—but as a society in general most of Britain are rather nervous when approaching someone ‘of the law’.

Another factor preventing many people from accessing the legal aid that they deserve, is the cost. Solicitors rarely represent a client in court, so they need to hire out a Barrister to represent you, at extra cost to yourself. Between the solicitor, court fees, Barrister fees, a court case could cost you thousands of pounds. Without knowing exactly how much you will spend, it is difficult for to decide the best way to handle your own claim.

There are so many of us that don’t know what we would be entitled to. Perhaps it’s all the going backwards and forwards between lawyers and judges, or maybe that we don’t understand the language of law, but whatever the reason is, the whole legal aid process is typically seen as a hassle which has a reputation to take months, or even years, to settle a dispute.

What if I told you, that has recently changed? That you can now access legal services from the comfort of your own home? What if there was a way to combat all three of these problems with one, easy to use, simple website? Barristers4U is an online Chamber company based in Cardiff which provides a range of Barristers, from motor to civil dispute, to businesses and the public. All it takes is one online form to be able to talk to a Barrister and obtain legal advice and service. The great thing about Barristers4u is that it cuts out the middle man – the solicitor – saving you time, hassle, and cost. The Barristers will provide you with an upfront quote for their services, meaning you don’t have to worry about extra costs building up; you know what you’re getting, and how much it will cost you. Barristers can charge less than solicitors as they have a smaller overhead fee, and they don’t need to charge for offices and administration.

Barristers4u are friendly and helpful, so you don’t have to worry if seeking legal advice is something you are nervous about. Once you’ve submitted your enquiry, a Barrister will be in touch to discuss your case with you. Your quote is free, with no obligation, and there are thousands of Barristers across England and Wales so you can compare quotes and services, meaning you are able to choose a Barrister which you believe is best suited to your needs. All the Barristers are accredited and regulated by the Bar Standards Board so you won’t lose out on quality or expertise. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Barristers4u puts you in the driver’s seat, so you can have your say on your case. They can even help you set up a video conference with your Barrister to ensure secure meetings wherever you are.

All too often, if we do create a case, we hand it over to the legal team, thinking they know better than us. In doing this, we don’t fully understand the decisions being made, and are more vulnerable to a cost that is much bigger than our budget. We may end up with a decision that we aren’t fully satisfied with, and the entire case is out of our hands. You are the most important person in your case, so imagine how empowering it would feel to be able to take control of your case despite having no legal experience. The direct access Barristers make that possible for you, listening to exactly what it is you want from your case and always making sure you are consulted in every decision.

Public access Barristers have been available since 2004, but this service wasn’t as readily available in Wales; Barristers4u are the first online direct access company to operate in Wales. This is completely reinventing the way we can obtain legal services; thanks to the internet and the public access Barristers, professional legal advice is just a click of a button away, like adding a carton of milk to your online basket. Just go to Barristers4u at anytime, anywhere, for free, no obligation quotes and find the best Barrister for you.