Direct access divorce barristers.
Specialist divorce and financial remedy counsel instructed directly, without a solicitor, on fixed fees agreed in writing. Public Access barristers across England and Wales.
A direct access divorce barrister is the most cost effective way to get senior, specialist legal advice and advocacy on a divorce without funding a full solicitor file alongside. You instruct a barrister directly on a Public Access basis, the fees are quoted up front in writing, and one specialist takes the matter from first conference through to consent order or final hearing.
Clerk&Counsel is a clerking agency that places direct access barristers across England and Wales. We are not chambers in our own right, we are independent clerks who route divorce and financial remedy instructions to the right Public Access counsel for the case. Every barrister we place is regulated by the Bar Standards Board, holds a current practising certificate from the Bar Council, carries professional indemnity insurance, and has completed the Public Access course that allows them to take instructions directly from members of the public.
Please contact the clerks with the parties, the proceedings and any key legal documents. We will come back with shortlisted Public Access counsel and a fixed fee in writing, usually within 24 to 72 hours.
Send a brief →Divorce and financial remedy, taken directly.
Divorce applications
Sole and joint no fault applications, jurisdiction disputes, recognition of overseas divorces, conditional and final orders.
Financial remedy
Form E drafting, first appointments, questionnaires, expert evidence and section 25 statements through to final order.
FDR advocacy
Private and court Financial Dispute Resolution hearings, position statements, settlement schedules and counter offers.
Consent orders
Drafting and approval of consent orders following negotiation or mediation, with a covering D81 statement of information.
MPS and LSPO
Maintenance pending suit and legal services payment orders where one spouse controls the income or assets.
Nuptial agreements
Advising on, drafting and litigating the weight of pre nuptial, post nuptial and separation agreements.
One specialist, one fixed fee.
In a traditional model you instruct a solicitor who runs the file on a day to day basis and then instructs counsel for the advocacy. You pay two professionals to do the work of one. On a Public Access basis you instruct a barrister directly. The barrister advises in conference, drafts your Form E and section 25 statement, negotiates with the other side, attends the FDR and any final hearing, and prepares the consent order. For most divorce and financial remedy matters that is faster, cleaner and substantially cheaper than instructing a solicitor in the usual way.
The Bar Standards Board Public Access scheme was introduced precisely to widen access to specialist legal expertise. It allows authorised access barristers to accept instructions directly from members of the public, including in divorce proceedings, provided the case is suitable. What a Public Access barrister cannot do, unless separately authorised to conduct litigation, is issue proceedings in your name or correspond with the court on your behalf. In practice this is rarely a problem in a divorce or financial remedy claim, the court is well used to dealing with litigants in person and the barrister tells you exactly what to file and when.
Where the case genuinely needs a solicitor, for heavy disclosure exercises, safeguarding concerns, freezing orders or volatile correspondence, the clerks will say so up front. Legal aid is not available on a Public Access basis, so where you may qualify we will direct you to a contracted firm rather than take an instruction the funding regime is not suited to.
From first call to fixed fee in 24 to 72 hours.
Send a brief
A short note of the parties, the stage of proceedings, the next hearing and any orders already made. Please contact the clerks by email or through the brief form.
Clerk shortlists counsel
We identify Public Access qualified divorce and financial remedy specialists with the right seniority, availability and a fixed fee for the work.
Client care letter
A BSB compliant client care letter sets out the scope of work, the fixed fee, the timetable and how the barrister and clerks will communicate with you.
Work begins
Fees are paid in advance into the chambers client account, and counsel begins work. You deal with the barrister directly from that point on.
Common questions on Public Access divorce work.
What is a direct access divorce barrister?
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A direct access divorce barrister is a self employed specialist family law advocate who has completed the Bar Standards Board Public Access course and is authorised to take instructions from members of the public on a Public Access basis, without a solicitor sitting in the middle. They give specialist legal advice on divorce and financial remedy, draft legal documents, negotiate settlement and represent you in court on fixed fees agreed in writing.
Can a Public Access divorce barrister conduct litigation for me?
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Only if the barrister has been separately authorised by the Bar Standards Board to conduct litigation. Most direct access barristers are not litigators, which means you remain the litigant in person on the court record. The barrister advises, drafts, negotiates and attends every hearing, while you sign and file legal documents at the court office. In a financial remedy case this division of labour is well understood by the court and rarely causes any practical difficulty.
How are fees quoted and paid?
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Every instruction begins with a written client care letter from the chambers, setting out the scope of work, the fixed fee and the timetable. Fees are quoted in advance, paid into the chambers client account before the work starts, and governed by the Bar Council and Bar Standards Board handbook. There is no hourly meter and no surprise bill at the end.
Is legal aid available for direct access divorce work?
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No. Legal aid for family work is only delivered through legal aid contracted solicitors and is not available on a Public Access basis. If you may qualify for legal aid we will say so up front and point you toward a contracted firm rather than take on an instruction the funding regime is not suited to.
How do I instruct a direct access divorce barrister?
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Please contact the clerks with a short note of the parties, the stage of proceedings, the next hearing date if there is one, and any key legal documents such as the application, Form E or any orders made. We will shortlist suitable Public Access counsel, confirm availability and a fixed fee, and issue the client care letter for signature, usually within 24 to 72 hours.
Where to go next.
Direct access family law
Public Access family counsel across divorce, children, Schedule 1 and nuptial agreements.
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