Direct Access Barristers Brighton
Public Access counsel for the Brighton County and Family Court and tribunals across East Sussex. Instructed directly, on a fixed fee, with no solicitor sitting in the middle.
Brighton and Hove has one of the most active civil and family hearing centres on the south coast outside London. Possession claims out of a busy private rented sector, financial remedy work for a sizeable professional and creative community, leasehold and HMO disputes across the conservation areas — all of it eventually lands at William Street.
Clerk&Counsel is a clerking agency, not a chambers. We place independent, BSB-regulated counsel for clients in Brighton, Hove, Worthing, Lewes, Eastbourne and out across East Sussex. Because we are not tied to a single set, we can match the barrister to the brief on fit, availability and fee rather than the other way round.
Most Brighton direct access instructions are confirmed within 24 to 72 hours. Where the matter is urgent — a listed possession hearing, a short-notice FDR, an injunction — counsel can usually be in place inside the day.
Send a short brief. A clerk will come back with shortlisted, available counsel and indicative fees within 24–72 hours.
Send a brief →Direct access work routinely handled across Brighton, Hove and East Sussex.
Divorce and financial remedy
FDRs, final hearings, pension sharing and Schedule 1 work at the Family Court at Brighton.
Child arrangements
Section 8 applications, prohibited steps, fact-find hearings and relocation cases across East Sussex.
Possession and landlord and tenant
Section 8 and Section 21 possession, deposit disputes, disrepair counterclaims and Housing Act work for the Brighton rental market.
Leasehold, service charges and HMO
First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) work on service charges, lease extensions and HMO licensing — common across Hove and Brighton's conservation areas.
Inheritance and 1975 Act claims
Contested probate, executor disputes, proprietary estoppel and Inheritance Act claims across Sussex.
Employment and discrimination
Unfair dismissal, discrimination and whistleblowing at the Brighton Employment Tribunal hearing centre.
Where Brighton direct access matters are heard.
The Brighton County and Family Court sits at William Street, Brighton, BN2 0RF. It is the principal civil and family venue for Brighton, Hove and much of East Sussex, with Public Access counsel appearing regularly across possession, family and small-business work.
Civil trials are often listed at the Hove Trial Centre on Lansdowne Road. Higher-value criminal and family work is routed to the Lewes Combined Court Centre, and counsel are placed at the appropriate venue depending on listing.
Tribunal work for Brighton and Hove clients is generally listed at the Brighton Employment Tribunal hearing centre and at First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) sittings — particularly relevant for the city's leasehold and service-charge workload.
A cost-effective route for Brighton clients.
Most clients we speak to in Brighton want two things: senior advocacy at the hearing and a fee they can budget for. Direct access delivers both. You instruct the barrister, on a fixed fee, for a defined piece of work — there is no solicitor's hourly file running alongside the brief fee.
It is a particularly strong fit for the city's landlord community, owner-managed businesses, freelancers and creative-sector professionals, and family clients who already understand their case and want the advocacy without funding a full litigation file.
Where the matter genuinely needs a solicitor — multi-party litigation, intensive disclosure, regulatory work — the clerks will say so directly and, if it helps, point you to a Sussex firm to lead the file with counsel kept in reserve for the hearing.
From brief to barrister in 24–72 hours.
Send a brief
A short description of your matter, any key documents and the deadline you are working to.
Clerk shortlists counsel
We identify Public Access-qualified barristers with the right expertise, confirm availability and fixed fees.
Client care letter
BSB-compliant client care letter sets scope, fee and timetable in writing for your signature.
Counsel begins work
Work starts as soon as the letter is signed and fees are received. You deal with the barrister directly.
Fixed fees for Brighton instructions,
agreed in writing.
Every direct access instruction in Brighton starts with a written client care letter setting out the scope of work, the fee and the timetable. You know what you are paying before any work begins — no hourly meter, no surprise.
Indicative ranges only, plus VAT. Actual fee depends on counsel, seniority, complexity and timetable.
The main differences at a glance.
Direct access (Public Access) lets you instruct a barrister without a solicitor in the middle. The traditional model uses a solicitor to manage the file and instruct counsel. Both are regulated and both have their place. The table below sets out the practical differences for a typical private client matter.
| Direct access barrister | Solicitor instructed barrister | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you instruct | The barrister directly, through the clerks. | A solicitor, who then instructs a barrister on your behalf. |
| Professionals you pay | One: the barrister. | Two: the solicitor and the barrister. |
| Fee structure | Fixed fee, agreed in writing before any work begins. | Solicitor on hourly rates, barrister on brief fee. Costs build over time. |
| Typical overall cost | Lower. One specialist, one fee per piece of work. | Higher. Two firms, two sets of overheads, hourly billing on the file. |
| Time to instruct | 24 to 72 hours from brief to client care letter. | One to three weeks for file opening, AML checks and counsel selection. |
| Who runs the file day to day | You do, as litigant in person. The barrister advises and represents. | The solicitor manages the file, correspondence and court filings. |
| Court filings and correspondence | You file documents and deal with the court office. Counsel tells you what to file and when. | The solicitor files documents and corresponds with the court and other side. |
| Advice, drafting and advocacy | Done by the barrister you instruct. | Drafting often shared between solicitor and barrister. Advocacy by counsel. |
| Best suited to | Defined pieces of work: advice, drafting, hearings, negotiation. | Heavy disclosure, safeguarding, complex multi party litigation and ongoing case management. |
| Regulation | Bar Standards Board. Counsel carries professional indemnity insurance. | Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board. |
If the case is unsuitable for direct access, for example public law children work or matters needing heavy ongoing case management, the clerks will say so up front and point you to a solicitor.
Questions Brighton clients ask.
Can I instruct a Brighton barrister without going through a solicitor?
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Yes. Public Access has been available since 2004 and is now well established in Brighton and Hove. Any BSB Public Access-qualified barrister can take instructions straight from a member of the public, a landlord, a small business or an in-house team.
How much does direct access cost in Brighton?
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Most written advices run £450 to £900. Drafting work — particulars of claim, a Form E narrative, a position statement — usually lands between £700 and £2,500. A full-day hearing at the Brighton County and Family Court is typically £1,200 to £3,500. The fee is fixed in writing in the client care letter.
Which Sussex courts do your direct access barristers cover?
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The Brighton County and Family Court at William Street is the main venue. Counsel also cover the Hove Trial Centre for civil trials, the County Court at Worthing, the Family Court at Lewes and the Crown Court at Lewes for higher-value or heavier work.
How quickly can a barrister be instructed in Brighton?
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Urgent work — injunctions, possession hearings on short notice, listed FDRs — can usually be in counsel's diary within 24 hours. For drafting and written advice the BSB client care letter normally goes out within two to three working days.
Do you cover Hove, Worthing, Eastbourne and Lewes?
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Yes. Brighton-based counsel routinely appear at Hove, Worthing, Eastbourne and Lewes, and across the wider East Sussex catchment. We place counsel based on the venue and the listing, not the chambers.
Is direct access suitable for divorce and FDRs in Brighton?
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For most financial remedy matters, yes. Public Access works particularly well at the Family Court at Brighton for FDRs, final hearings, child arrangements applications and Schedule 1 work. Where the file really does need someone running correspondence every day, a solicitor-led model can still make more sense.
Is direct access used for landlord, leasehold and HMO disputes?
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Frequently. Brighton has a very active rental market, and Public Access is widely used for Section 8 and Section 21 possession, rent and deposit disputes, leasehold service-charge arguments and HMO licensing appeals.
Are Brighton Public Access barristers regulated and insured?
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Yes. Every barrister we place holds a current BSB practising certificate, has completed Public Access training and carries professional indemnity insurance through the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund. The regulatory position is set out in the client care letter.
Other locations we cover.
Family law, Brighton
Direct access counsel for divorce, financial remedy and Children Act work at the Family Court at Brighton.
Read more →Chichester
Direct access family counsel for the Family Court at Chichester and the West Sussex coast.
Read more →London
Public Access counsel for the Royal Courts of Justice and London County and Family Courts.
Read more →