Direct access family law barristers.
Specialist family law barristers instructed directly, without a solicitor, on a fixed fee basis. Divorce, financial remedy, FDR, child arrangements, Schedule 1 and nuptial agreements.
Instructing a direct access family law barrister is the most cost effective way to get expert legal advice and senior advocacy in a private family matter without funding a full solicitor file alongside. You instruct a family law barrister directly, the work is paid in advance on a fixed fee, and there is no hourly meter ticking against you in the background.
Clerk and Counsel is a clerking agency that places specialist family law barristers across England and Wales on a Public Access basis. Every barrister we place is regulated by the Bar Standards Board, holds a current practising certificate from the Bar Council, and carries professional indemnity insurance.
The Bar Standards Board Public Access scheme allows authorised barristers to accept instructions directly from members of the public and from businesses, rather than only through a solicitor. For most private family work, divorce, financial remedy, child arrangements and Schedule 1 claims, the case is suitable for direct access and a Public Access family barrister can take you from first conference through to final hearing.
Send a short brief, the parties, the proceedings, the next hearing and the key issues. A clerk will come back with shortlisted counsel and a fixed fee in writing.
Send a briefPrivate family law work, taken directly from the client.
Divorce and dissolution
Sole and joint applications, jurisdiction disputes, recognition of overseas divorces, and conditional and final orders.
Financial remedy and FDR
Form E preparation, first appointments, private and court FDRs, final hearings and consent order drafting.
Child arrangements
Live with and spend time orders, specific issue and prohibited steps applications, FHDRA and DRA representation.
Schedule 1 Children Act 1989
Capital and periodical payments for unmarried parents, often paired with TOLATA claims over the family home.
Nuptial agreements
Drafting and advising on pre nuptial, post nuptial and cohabitation agreements, and litigating their weight.
MPS, LSPO and interim relief
Maintenance pending suit, legal services payment orders and short notice interim financial provision applications.
Public law children work, care proceedings and adoption cases are not generally suitable for direct access and we will recommend a legal aid solicitor where the case calls for one. For everything else in the private family list, instructing a direct access family law barrister is usually the right call.
One specialist, one fixed fee.
In a traditional model a solicitor takes the file, manages it on a day to day basis and instructs counsel for advocacy and advice. You pay both. On a Public Access basis you instruct the family law barrister directly and pay one professional for a defined piece of work. For most private family matters that is faster and substantially cheaper.
A Public Access family law barrister can advise in conference, draft your statement, negotiate with the other side or their solicitors, represent you at the FDR or final hearing, and prepare your consent order. What they cannot do, unless separately authorised to conduct litigation, is issue proceedings in your name or file documents at court for you. In practice this is rarely a problem, the court office accepts filings from litigants in person every day and the barrister tells you what to file and when.
Where the matter genuinely needs a solicitor for case management, heavy disclosure or safeguarding work, the clerks will say so up front rather than take an instruction the case is not suited to.
From brief to barrister in 24 to 72 hours.
Send a brief
A short description of the proceedings, the next hearing and the issues. Contact the clerks by email or through the brief form.
Clerk shortlists counsel
We identify Public Access qualified specialist family law barristers with the right experience, availability and fee level.
Client care letter
A BSB compliant client care letter sets out the scope of work, the fixed fee and the timetable for your signature.
Work begins
Fees are paid in advance into the chambers client account and counsel begins work. You deal with the family law barrister directly throughout.
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.
Common questions on Public Access family work.
What is a direct access family law barrister?
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A direct access family law barrister is a self employed advocate who has completed the Bar Standards Board Public Access course and is authorised to take instructions from members of the public without a solicitor in the middle. They handle divorce, financial remedy, child arrangements and a wide range of other family law work on a fixed fee basis.
How much does a direct access family barrister cost?
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Fees are agreed in advance on a fixed fee basis, set out in writing in a client care letter before any work begins. A conference and written advice typically starts in the low hundreds of pounds for a junior, with FDR and final hearing fees agreed against the size and complexity of the case. There is no hourly meter and no surprise bills at the end.
Can a Public Access barrister conduct litigation for me?
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Only if they have separately been authorised to conduct litigation by the Bar Standards Board. 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 represents you at hearings, while you sign court documents and deal with the court office on a day to day basis.
How are fees agreed and paid?
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Every instruction starts with a written client care letter setting out the scope of work, the fixed fee and the timetable. Fees are paid in advance into the chambers client account before the work begins, in line with the Bar Council and Bar Standards Board handbook rules.
Is legal aid available through direct access?
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No. Legal aid family work has to be carried out through a legal aid contracted solicitor. If you may qualify for legal aid we will say so up front and point you toward a contracted firm rather than take the instruction on a Public Access basis.
How do I instruct a direct access family barrister through Clerk and Counsel?
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Contact the clerks with a short description of your matter, the next hearing date if there is one, and the key documents. We will shortlist suitable counsel, confirm availability and indicative fees, and issue the client care letter for signature, usually within 24 to 72 hours.
Instruct a family law barrister in your city.
Family law barristers in London
Central Family Court, Royal Courts of Justice and the London Family Court.
Family law barristers in Manchester
Manchester Civil Justice Centre and the Family Court at Manchester.
Family law barristers in Birmingham
Birmingham Family Court and the Priory Courts.
Family law barristers in Leeds
Leeds Combined Court Centre and the Family Court at Leeds.
Where to go next.
Family barristers
All our family law work, including solicitor instructed counsel for complex and high value matters.
Read moreDivorce barristers
Divorce and financial remedy specialists, FDR and final hearing advocacy.
Read moreDirect access divorce
Public Access divorce and financial remedy counsel on fixed fees, without a solicitor.
Read moreChild arrangements barristers
Private children law, live with and spend time orders, specific issue and prohibited steps.
Read moreDirect access barristers
The full Public Access service across family, commercial, property and construction.
Read moreDirect access civil law
Public Access civil counsel for contract, debt, property and County Court work.
Read more