We are unable to accept cases on a legal aid basis therefore any public access work will be privately funded. Our policy is to take payment in advance. The precise terms will be set out in your agreement. However, it is normal in our policy to have received 100% of the agreed fee within 7 days of the hearing.
The actual cost will depend on the complexity of the case, your choice of barrister, the amount of work involved, type of hearing and amount of papers. We ask you to complete a referral form so we can assess these things from the very beginning and have an open and transparent discussion with you about cost and payment.
The quote you will be given will either be on an hourly rate or a fixed fee. VAT will be added to all fees, you can pay online or BACS directly into the barrister’s bank account.
Our public access team usually cost anywhere between £150-£750+ VAT per hour, depending on experience and expertise. For more information regarding our fees, please click here to see our transparency fees policy. Eve Humphries, who is our dedicated public access lead will be able to help and support you with the pricing of your chosen barrister. Any additional costs will be set out in the agreement and included in advance. Additional fees might include, reasonable travel and accommodation costs.
If your case requires any additional work we will contact you in advance, explain why the additional work is necessary and take your instructions on how you wish to proceed. You will never get an unexpected bill. The framework for our fees is available here in our Fees Transparency Document.
If you think you might qualify for legal aid then you are able to contact a solicitor who will be best placed to advise you on whether or not you are eligible for legal aid.
Even if you are eligible you still have the choice to instruct a barrister privately. If this is something you wish to know more about then our support team can help you with this.