Insights
Direct access, in plain English
Guides and advice on finding and instructing a barrister directly, from the people who do it every day.
How to instruct a direct access barrister: a step-by-step guide
A plain-English walkthrough of instructing a barrister directly in England and Wales, without a solicitor: when you can, how it works, what it costs, and how to start.
What is a direct access barrister?
A direct access barrister is one you can instruct without a solicitor. What that means, when it is allowed, and how public access works in England and Wales.
How much does a direct access barrister cost?
What a direct access barrister actually costs in England and Wales: how fixed fees work, what drives the price, and why going direct can cost less.
Barrister vs solicitor: which do you need?
Barrister or solicitor: which do you actually need? A plain-English guide to the difference and when you can go straight to a barrister.
Direct access family law barristers: when you can use one
When you can instruct a family law barrister directly, what they can help with and what they cannot, and how to start. England and Wales.
Direct access employment barristers: tribunal help without a solicitor
Use a direct access barrister for your employment tribunal claim: how it works at each stage, from ACAS to the hearing, and what it costs.
Direct access immigration barristers: visas, refusals and appeals
How a direct access immigration barrister can help with visa refusals and appeals, when direct access fits, and when it does not.
Should you represent yourself at an employment tribunal?
Thinking of representing yourself at an employment tribunal? What to expect, where people come unstuck, and a lower-cost middle path.
Contesting a will in England and Wales
Contesting a will in England and Wales: the grounds, inheritance claims, and how a direct access barrister can advise and represent you.
Landlord and tenant disputes: using a barrister directly
Landlord and tenant disputes: how a direct access barrister can help with possession, disrepair and more, and what to know after recent reforms.
Can a direct access barrister represent you in criminal court?
Can a direct access barrister represent you in criminal court? Where it works (magistrates, bail, appeals) and where you still need a solicitor.
Personal injury: barrister or no-win-no-fee solicitor?
Personal injury: barrister or no-win-no-fee solicitor? How the routes compare, what they cost, and when direct access is better value.
Is my case suitable for a direct access barrister?
Is your case suitable for a direct access barrister? An honest guide to what works, what does not, and when to use a solicitor instead.
Direct access, legal aid and no-win-no-fee explained
Direct access, legal aid and no-win-no-fee explained: how funding works when you instruct a barrister directly, and your options.
Conducting litigation: the limit of direct access most people miss
Conducting litigation is the one limit of direct access most people miss. What it means for your case and how it is handled in practice.
You can hire a barrister directly. So why does almost nobody know?
You can hire a barrister directly in England and Wales. So why does almost nobody know? The history, the myths, and what is changing.