Civil litigation barristers for London claims.
Counsel for High Court, County Court and Business and Property Court work in London, instructed by solicitors or on a Public Access fixed fee.
Civil litigation barristers for London matters
London is the busiest civil disputes centre in England and Wales. Claims issued in the Royal Courts of Justice, the Rolls Building, the Central London County Court and the surrounding County Court hearing centres run into the tens of thousands every year, covering everything from a contested debt to a complex commercial trial.
Clerk&Counsel works with self-employed civil barristers across the London Bar, from new tenants taking on small claims and fast track work to senior juniors and silks doing heavy multi-track and B&PC trials. We are a clerking agency, not a chambers, so the engagement is always direct between the client and the barrister.
For litigants in person and for limited companies running their own disputes, Public Access lets us instruct a barrister on a fixed fee without a solicitor. The barrister can draft pleadings, advise on prospects and represent you at the hearing.
Clerk&Counsel is a clerking agency, not a chambers and not a firm of solicitors. We place independent, BSB-registered civil law barristers on contract, debt, property, professional negligence and injunction work for clients and solicitors based in and around London. Suitable matters can be instructed on a Public Access basis on a fixed fee, without a solicitor.
Civil claims we cover from London
Contract and commercial disputes
Breach of contract, unpaid invoices, terms in dispute and warranty claims, from small claims through to multi-track and Commercial Court trials.
Property and land claims
Possession claims, dilapidations, breach of covenant, boundary and easement disputes and trusts of land applications heard in the Central London County Court and the High Court.
Professional negligence
Claims against solicitors, accountants, surveyors, financial advisers and other professionals, often featuring expert evidence and Part 36 strategy.
Injunctions and freezing orders
Urgent without-notice and interim applications in the High Court, including search orders and asset preservation.
Insolvency and debt recovery
Statutory demands, winding-up and bankruptcy petitions, set-aside applications and enforcement work in the Insolvency and Companies List.
Appeals
Appeals from the County Court to the High Court and on to the Court of Appeal, including permission applications and skeleton arguments.
Where civil claims are heard in London
The Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand house the King's Bench Division, the Chancery Division and the Court of Appeal. The Rolls Building on Fetter Lane houses the Business and Property Courts, including the Commercial Court, the Chancery Division business list and the Technology and Construction Court.
The Central London County Court at the Thomas More Building on Royal Courts of Justice grounds is the main County Court for Greater London civil work, including the multi-track business list. Surrounding hearing centres at Mayors and City of London, Clerkenwell and Shoreditch, Wandsworth, Edmonton and Romford handle smaller claims, possession and money cases.
Most interim hearings now run as remote video hearings on CVP. We can place counsel for either an in-person hearing in London or a remote attendance from anywhere in the country.
What drives civil work in London
London's civil caseload is driven by the financial services, real estate, professional services and construction sectors clustered in the City and Canary Wharf, and by the volume of small business and consumer activity across Greater London. Insolvency and debt work has been particularly heavy in the post-pandemic period.
Public Access enquiries in London are dominated by company directors handling commercial disputes themselves, landlords in possession and dilapidations claims, and individuals defending professional negligence or contract claims who do not want to fund a full solicitor-led retainer.
Instructing a civil barrister in London
Send a brief
Outline the claim, the parties and any hearing date. Solicitor and direct-access enquiries from London are both welcome.
We match
Our clerks identify suitable, available BSB-registered counsel by experience, fee bracket and fit for the venue.
Instruct
Engagement letter and conflict checks completed digitally. Counsel briefed and on the case.
If you have a civil claim in London that needs counsel, send us the papers and we will come back with a shortlist, indicative fixed fee where direct access fits, and conflict-check timing.
All barristers we place are independent, self-employed and regulated by the Bar Standards Board. Clerk&Counsel does not provide legal services itself.
For background on the wider service, see our direct access civil law barristers page, our guide on civil law direct access work, or the help for litigants in person page. Every barrister we place is regulated by the Bar Standards Board.
Civil litigation barristers in London, common questions
Where are civil claims heard in London?
High Court claims are heard at the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand and at the Rolls Building on Fetter Lane. County Court and most lower-value civil claims for Greater London are heard at the Central London County Court in the Thomas More Building, with surrounding hearing centres at Mayors and City, Clerkenwell and Shoreditch, Wandsworth, Edmonton and Romford.
Can I instruct a London civil barrister directly?
Yes, where the matter is suitable for Public Access. We will tell you if the work falls within the direct access scheme or if a solicitor needs to be on record first, for example because of heavy disclosure or because the case sits in the Business and Property Courts.
How quickly can counsel be instructed in London?
For an urgent injunction or interim application we can usually shortlist counsel the same working day. For a planned trial or CCMC we work to whatever lead time the listing gives you.
What types of civil work do you cover in London?
Contract disputes, debt recovery, professional negligence, property and land claims, partnership and shareholder disputes, injunctions and freezing orders, and appeals to the High Court and Court of Appeal.
Do you cover the Business and Property Courts in London?
Yes. We place counsel on Chancery, Commercial and Technology and Construction Court work issued in the Rolls Building, as well as on cases proceeding in the Central London County Court business list.