Direct Access barristers in the UK. How to hire one without a solicitor.

Until 2004, if you needed a barrister's help, you had to go through a solicitor first. The solicitor would be the one instructing the barrister on your behalf. It was the only path.

Then the Bar Standards Board opened the "Public Access Scheme". Now around 7,000 of the UK's 17,000 barristers are qualified to take instructions directly from members of the public. You can hire them without a solicitor in between.

This has changed what's possible for people handling their own case, or people who need specific legal work done on a budget. But it only works for certain types of case. And there are things a Public Access barrister can do, and things they cannot do, which matter a lot if you're relying on them.

Here's what actually happens when you hire a barrister directly.

The short version

A Public Access barrister is a barrister who is qualified to take instructions directly from you, without a solicitor in the middle. This cuts out the solicitor's fees, which can save you thousands of pounds. But a Public Access barrister can only do specific work: give opinions, draft court documents, advise you on your case. They cannot manage the case end-to-end the way a solicitor does. If you want them to file documents at court or conduct litigation on your behalf, you need a barrister who is also "Litigation Access" qualified, and even then the scope is limited.

Direct Access works best when you know roughly what you need (a Defence drafted, a Skeleton Argument written, an opinion on the strength of your case) and you're willing to do some of the case management yourself.

At a glance

What the Public Access Scheme actually is

The Public Access Scheme is a set of rules written by the Bar Standards Board in 2004 that allow certain barristers to take instructions directly from the public. Before that, a barrister could only be instructed through a solicitor. The scheme changed that.

For a barrister to be Public Access qualified, they have to:

• Complete additional training in handling clients directly (rather than through a solicitor intermediary).
• Understand the rules about which types of work they can do.
• Meet professional conduct standards that are the same for all barristers, but which matter more when you're dealing with the public directly without a solicitor filter.

A barrister who is Public Access qualified has a "Direct Access" label, usually shown on the directory where you find them or on their chambers website.

Not all barristers are Public Access qualified. Some choose not to be. Some do it only in specific practice areas (family law, employment, civil disputes). You need to check before you contact them.

The Bar Standards Board's rules (since 2004)

The Public Access Scheme launched in April 2004 as a pilot. It was made permanent in 2006. The rules have been tweaked several times since, but the basic structure is the same.

A barrister can take instructions directly from you if:

• The barrister is Public Access qualified.
• The work falls within the permitted types of work (see next section).
• You understand the limitations of what a Direct Access barrister can do (especially around conducting litigation).
• You are not a vulnerable person who needs protection (defined in the rules, but generally: children, people lacking mental capacity, people in certain domestic abuse situations).

The scheme's purpose is to make barristers' expertise more accessible and more affordable. The regulation is there to protect you: the barrister still has to follow the same professional conduct rules as any other barrister, still has to have insurance, still has to be competent in the area of law.

What types of work can a Direct Access barrister do

A Public Access barrister can do these things without a solicitor in between:

• Give you an opinion on the law, or the strength of your case. This is called "counsel's opinion" or "advice".
• Draft court documents. Particulars of Claim, Defences, Witness Statements, Skeleton Arguments (the written summary they give to the judge).
• Represent you at certain hearings. Small Claims, Fast Track, and some procedural hearings in higher courts. Not all hearings and not all courts.
• Negotiate with the other side on specific legal points (though this is less common - they're not really case managers the way solicitors are).

What a Public Access barrister CANNOT do (unless they are also Litigation Access qualified):

• File documents at court.
• Correspond formally with the other side or third parties.
• Manage the overall conduct of your case. That remains your job.
• Conduct litigation on your behalf. Litigation is the formal process of running a case through the courts, including filing, serving documents, managing deadlines.

If you want a barrister to do litigation work (file documents, handle all the court correspondence), they need to be "Litigation Access" qualified as well. Not all Public Access barristers are. Check before you instruct them.

This matters because it means you, the client, have to do some of the work yourself. You have to file documents with the court. You have to track your own deadlines. You have to make sure the other side is properly served. A solicitor would do all of that. A Public Access barrister will not.

How much it costs

A Direct Access barrister typically charges a flat fee for a defined piece of work, not an hourly rate. This is one of the main advantages over the traditional route.

Typical costs (2026 estimates):

• Direct Access barrister, simple case (one piece of work): £500 to £2,000 flat fee.
• Direct Access barrister, complex case (multiple pieces of work): £2,000 to £5,000 across all the work.
• Traditional route (solicitor + barrister): £3,000 to £15,000+ for a defended claim, depending on complexity.

The flat-fee model means you know what you're paying upfront. You're not going to get a bill at the end that's twice what you expected. That's a real advantage if you're working with a limited budget.

Some barristers offer a free or low-cost initial consultation so you can discuss your case and agree on the scope before either of you commits.

Compare this to the traditional route: you pay the solicitor by the hour (£150 to £400 per hour depending on the firm), then you pay the barrister by the hour on top (£200 to £600 per hour for a junior barrister). A case that looks simple can easily spiral into £5,000 or more in costs.

When a Direct Access barrister works

Direct Access works best when:

• You have a specific piece of work you need done, and you know what it is. You want a Defence drafted. You want an opinion on whether you've got a case. You want a Skeleton Argument for a hearing.
• Your case is not hugely complex. A straightforward dispute over a contract, a small claim, an employment issue. Not a multi-party commercial litigation with discovery and expert evidence.
• You're willing and able to do some of the case-management work yourself. Filing documents, meeting court deadlines, keeping the case organised.
• You're not vulnerable and you don't need help with legal advice about vulnerable issues (family cases involving children, for example).
• You've already sorted out the basic facts of your case. You know who you're suing, or who's suing you. You know roughly what you're arguing about. You're not coming in cold.

Direct Access does NOT work well when:

• Your case is heading for a full trial with multiple hearings and months of preparation. You need someone managing the case end-to-end, and that's a solicitor's job.
• You need litigation support from day one. Correspondence, filing, case management. A Public Access barrister can't do that without also being Litigation Access qualified, and the Litigation Access rules are stricter.
• You're not sure what legal problem you actually have. You need an initial consultation to work that out. A solicitor is better for this; they'll take your instructions, figure out the legal issue, and advise you on next steps.
• You're in a vulnerable situation. Family law with children, domestic abuse, anything where the law recognises you need protection. Direct Access isn't designed for these cases.

When you still need a solicitor

There are cases where you absolutely need a solicitor, or at least where you'd be much better off with one.

You need a solicitor when:

• Your case is complex and heading for trial. You need someone managing the entire thing, coordinating with experts, handling all the procedural deadlines.
• You need litigation support (filing, correspondence, serving documents) and the barrister isn't Litigation Access qualified.
• You're in family law (divorce, financial remedy, anything involving children).
• You need help figuring out what your legal problem actually is in the first place.
• The case involves vulnerable people or vulnerable issues.
• You want a lawyer who will be available for the whole journey, not just specific tasks.

A lot of cases need both. You might start with a solicitor, who takes your instructions and gives you initial advice. Then the solicitor brings in a barrister for a specific piece (advising on a legal point, drafting a key document, representing you at trial). In the traditional route, the solicitor makes that decision and does the coordination. In the Direct Access route, you decide when to bring in a barrister and you manage the coordination yourself.

How to find a Direct Access barrister

There are a few places to look.

The Bar Standards Board website has a public directory of barristers. You can search by practice area and filter for "Direct Access". The page will tell you what areas of law they do and whether they're Public Access qualified.

The DirectAccessPortal website (directaccessportal.co.uk) is a dedicated search engine for Public Access barristers. You can filter by location, practice area, and other criteria.

Law firms and citizen advice services sometimes maintain lists of recommended Direct Access barristers. Citizens Advice publishes a guide on using Direct Access barristers.

Once you've found a barrister whose practice area matches your case:

• Check they are Public Access qualified. This should be clearly stated on their profile.
• Check they are Litigation Access qualified if you need them to do litigation work. This will also be stated.
• Read their background. How many years in practice? What kind of cases do they typically do?
• Contact them with a brief description of your case. Most barristers will have a phone number or email on their chambers website.
• Ask for a consultation. Many will offer a free or low-cost initial meeting to discuss whether they can help and what it would cost.

When you contact them, be ready to explain:

• What happened (the basic facts).
• What you want them to do (opinion, draft a document, represent you at a hearing).
• What you've already done (have you already filed something with the court? Do you have documents from the other side?).
• Your budget.

This will help them decide quickly whether they can help you and what the cost would be.

What qualifications a Direct Access barrister needs

To be approved for Public Access, a barrister has to:

• Complete the Bar Practice Course (the same course all barristers take).
• Get called to the Bar by one of the four Inns of Court.
• Complete pupillage (a one-year apprenticeship).
• Get tenancy in chambers.
• Pass additional training specific to Public Access work. This covers things like how to handle clients who don't have a solicitor intermediary, how to manage conflicts of interest, what types of work are allowed.
• Apply to the Bar Standards Board for Public Access approval.

So a Public Access barrister has all the same qualifications as any other barrister. They've just done extra training to handle direct client relationships.

If they want to do Litigation Access work (conducting litigation on your behalf), they need extra training for that too. Litigation Access was added to the scheme later (2009 for criminal, 2014 for civil) and has stricter rules. Not all barristers who are Public Access qualified are also Litigation Access qualified.

Day to day

What does it actually look like to work with a Direct Access barrister?

You contact them and discuss your case in an initial consultation. Most do this by phone or Zoom.

If they agree to take you on, you'll sign a retainer (a contract saying they're instructing you, what work they'll do, what they'll charge, and the terms of payment).

You'll send them the documents relevant to your case (letters, court forms, contracts, whatever is relevant).

They'll read everything and get back to you with an opinion or a plan. If you've asked them to draft something, they'll draft it.

You then do the work of filing it with the court, or serving it on the other side, unless they're Litigation Access qualified.

If there's a hearing where they're representing you, they'll prepare for it, take instructions from you before the hearing, and represent you in court.

After, they'll update you on what happened and whether there are next steps.

Throughout, you're in regular contact with them, but they're not managing the case the way a solicitor would. You're responsible for keeping on top of deadlines, filing documents, and generally managing the case forward. They're advising and doing specialist work.

This requires a bit more of you than the traditional route. But it also means you have more control and you know exactly what you're paying for.

Common misconceptions

"Direct Access barristers are less qualified than traditional barristers." Not true. They have the same core qualifications. They've just done additional training to handle public clients.

"Direct Access is always cheaper." Usually yes, because you're cutting out the solicitor's fees. But if your case becomes complex, Direct Access can end up costing more because you have to do some of the work yourself or hire a solicitor midway through.

"You can't get advice from a Direct Access barrister." You can. Getting your own lawyer's opinion is one of the key things Public Access barristers do.

"All barristers are Public Access qualified." Not true. Many are not. Some choose not to be. Always check.

"Direct Access barristers won't represent you in court." They will, but only for certain types of hearing. Not trial in higher courts, and not if you need full litigation support.

"Hiring a Direct Access barrister means you have no protection." You do. They're still regulated by the Bar Standards Board, they have to follow the same professional conduct rules, they must have professional indemnity insurance, and they can be complained about just like any other lawyer.

Related concepts

These terms come up when you're looking at Direct Access or hiring a barrister:

• Litigation Access. The formal permission for a barrister to conduct litigation on your behalf (file documents, correspond with the court and other side, manage deadlines). Not all Public Access barristers have this. It requires extra training and has stricter rules.
• Chambers. The shared office where barristers work. They're self-employed, so they share reception, meeting rooms, and administrative staff, but each has their own practice.
• Counsel's opinion. A formal written opinion from a barrister on the law or the merits of your case. Also called "advice".
• Rights of audience. The legal permission to argue a case in a particular court. Barristers have full rights of audience in all courts (except those restricted to KCs). Solicitors have limited rights of audience unless they're solicitor-advocates with additional qualification.
• The Bar Standards Board (BSB). The regulator for barristers in England and Wales.
• Pupillage. A barrister's one-year apprenticeship after the Bar Practice Course. The first six months you watch, the second six months you do real work under supervision.
• Tenancy. A barrister's position in chambers. Getting tenancy after pupillage is the hardest step in becoming a barrister.

Sources

The information on this page is based on:

• Bar Standards Board. Public Access information for clients. https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/for-the-public/finding-a-barrister/public-access-information-for-clients.html
• Bar Standards Board. Rules for barristers. https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/
• The DirectAccessPortal. Search engine for Public Access barristers. https://www.directaccessportal.co.uk/
• The Bar Council. Professional body for barristers. https://www.barcouncil.org.uk/
• Citizens Advice. Guide to using Direct Access barristers. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

This page was reviewed for accuracy on 2026-05-28. UK legal profession rules change occasionally. Check the BSB and Bar Council websites for the most current information.

A note on what this page is and isn't

This is information about how the UK legal system works, not legal advice about your specific situation. If you're thinking about using a Direct Access barrister for your case, you should discuss it with them (or a solicitor) to make sure it's the right choice.

CaseCalm helps people understand UK court procedures and draft their own court documents. We are not a law firm and we are not regulated by the Bar Standards Board. When your situation needs real legal advice, we point you to qualified professionals.

Written by Peter Kolomiets. Reviewed for accuracy 2026-05-28. Comments or corrections to peter@casecalm.com.