How to Take Direct Access Work
Public access has been open to the Bar for over 20 years and now accounts for a meaningful share of junior fee income. Here is the BSB training, the admin, the documents you need before accepting your first instruction, and how to keep a steady stream of clients once you are set up.
The Public Access scheme lets a member of the public instruct a barrister directly, bypassing the solicitor. For the lay client it usually cuts the bill by a third. For the barrister it removes the solicitor mark-down and the wait for the firm to settle the fee note. For the regulator it shifts more responsibility onto the barrister, which is why the BSB requires training and additional paperwork before you can accept the work.
The training itself is a one-day course delivered by approved providers including Cardiff Law School and the Inns of Court College of Advocacy, costing £350 to £500. It covers the BSB Handbook rules, the limits of what you can do without litigation authorisation, the client care requirements, and the practical handling of money and conflicts. Once completed you notify the BSB through your MyBar account and the authorisation appears on the Barristers' Register within a few days.
If you are in your first three years of practice the BSB requires a qualified person to supervise your public access work and an additional new practitioner element on the training. The qualified person does not need to be in your chambers but does need to be available to answer questions and review your client care letters for the first cases.
The legal framework you are working within is the BSB Handbook, in particular Rules C119 to C131 on public access. The Bar Council publishes detailed guidance and model documents which most practitioners use as a starting point. The model client care letter is updated periodically, so check you are using the current version when you set up your template.
For where the clients come from once you are authorised, see our barrister lead generation page or jump straight to barrister recruitment for how the panel works.
We generate pre-qualified direct access enquiries in family, civil, crime and immigration. You take the brief in your own name.
Apply to join →What you need before your first case
Public Access training
One-day course from an approved provider. Plus new practitioner element if you are within three years of call.
BSB notification
Submit through MyBar. The authorisation appears on the Barristers' Register within a few working days.
Client care template
Start from the Bar Council model. Adapt to your practice area and update the litigation carve-out for each case.
Money handling plan
Either bill in arrears, or use BARCO or a similar escrow facility for fees in advance. Do not hold client money in your own account.
Conflicts check
Maintain a simple register of every direct access enquiry, accepted or declined, so future conflict checks are quick and reliable.
A source of enquiries
Chambers website, third-party lead generation, professional referrals or past client word of mouth. Most juniors need at least two of these to build a steady flow.
What we see go wrong
The most common problem is conduct of litigation. A barrister accepts a direct access brief for a final hearing and then quietly drafts and files documents that count as litigation steps. Without separate litigation authorisation that is a regulatory breach. The fix is either to apply for the authorisation (a separate BSB process), or to insist the client either retains a solicitor or acts as a litigant in person handling the filings themselves.
The second is fees. A junior quotes a low fee for a first hearing and then finds the case has grown into something three times the size. The client refuses to pay the uplift. Always agree a written fee for each defined stage and require staged payment before each stage begins.
The third is the client who cannot give instructions. Vulnerable clients, clients with limited English, clients in acute distress. Direct access does not have a solicitor buffer to manage that. Be honest about whether you can take the case and refer on if you cannot.
Frequently asked questions
What is a public access barrister?
A public access barrister is a self-employed barrister authorised to accept instructions directly from members of the public, without a solicitor in between. The scheme has been open since 2004 and now covers almost all areas of law. To take the work you must complete the Bar Standards Board's Public Access training course and notify the BSB before you accept your first instruction.
How do I get authorised to take direct access?
Three steps. Complete the Public Access training course approved by the Bar Standards Board (a one-day course costing around £350 to £500). Notify the BSB through your MyBar account that you intend to undertake public access work. If you are in your first three years of practice, you also need to identify a qualified person to provide guidance and complete additional new practitioner training before taking cases independently.
Can a public access barrister handle client money?
Generally no. Self-employed barristers cannot hold client money in the way solicitors can, with limited exceptions. Fees in advance must be held in an escrow account operated by a third party, such as BARCO, or invoiced in arrears. You also cannot conduct litigation unless you have separately applied to the BSB for litigation authorisation, which most public access barristers do not hold.
What goes in a client care letter for direct access?
The BSB requires a written agreement before you accept instructions. It needs to set out the work you will do, the fee or fee basis, who is responsible for paying it, the limits of your retainer (especially that you cannot conduct litigation without litigation authorisation), your complaints procedure, and Legal Ombudsman details. Most barristers use the Bar Council model client care letter as a starting point and adapt it per case.
When should I decline direct access work?
Decline if the case clearly needs a solicitor (for example, a contested commercial matter requiring extensive disclosure and witness preparation), if the client cannot give clear instructions, if a conflict exists, or if the case requires conduct of litigation you are not authorised for. The BSB Handbook treats accepting unsuitable direct access work as a conduct issue, so declining is not just commercial prudence, it is regulatory hygiene.
How do barristers find direct access clients?
Three main routes. Word of mouth from previous clients, which takes time to build. A profile on chambers' direct access page, which depends on how active the chambers is in promoting public access. Third-party introducers and lead generation services like Clerk&Counsel, who run the marketing and pre-qualify the client before passing the enquiry. The last route is the fastest way to build volume in the first two years.
Public access authorised? Let's bring you clients.
We generate direct access enquiries every day across family, civil, crime and immigration. Apply to the panel and a clerk will be in touch within two working days.