I need a barrister
Private clients and commercial organisations who wish to consider using one of our barristers direct, without the expense of first going to a solicitor, can now do so.
Although direct access will be the best solution in some cases, there are limitations, and it will not be better, or more cost effective, in all cases. Traditional solicitors have many areas of expertise and experience that we cannot match, and we do not seek to do so.
Many cases require a high proportion of office-based preparation over a significant period of time; these cases will always be better suited to the traditional approach of solicitor involvement throughout the case, including instruction of barristers by the solicitor as and when required.
Our barristers are first and foremost advocates, and our services are primarily focused on advocacy. Our barristers do their work in court.
What Citadel promises is that we will always advise you, at the outset, whether or not we think direct access is right for your case.
We offer two levels of service for those who want to instruct us directly:
This is for cases where it is suitable for the barrister of your choice to carry out all the legal work required. These are likely to be shorter cases where the amount of pre-hearing background work required to present the case is very limited.
The majority of our barristers are licensed by the Bar Council to accept such direct access instructions. In appropriate cases, you can ask a barrister to advise you on a wide range of legal problems or represent you in Court in both criminal and civil proceedings or at a tribunal hearing.
Many individuals, businesses and organisations regard this as a cost-effective and time-saving process where a lot of detailed office-based preparation is not required, or where the client is able, and prepared, to undertake some preparation work themselves.
Lots of cases are not suitable to be done by a barrister alone. Detailed background work is required, over a long period of time, and the client may need frequent contact with those conducting the case. This is not feasible for barristers who spend the majority of the working week in court and cannot be contacted during court hearings.
In such cases, it would simply not be necessary, or cost-effective, for a barrister to do all the preparation. The client is far better served by the involvement of a traditional firm of solicitors.
For cases where the requirement is predominantly advocacy, but there is some preparation to be done. Citadel is able to offer a unique service combining direct access with litigation support provided by a firm of solicitors that are owned by members and directors of Citadel Chambers.
As the function of the firm is to help our Direct Access barristers provide a more complete service and not to make a profit on the services provided by the firm, we can offer support direct access at very competitive rates compared with the combined cost of a traditional firm of solicitors instructing a barrister.
The cost of any support work agreed upon is rolled up in the barrister fee and is not an additional cost to the client.
We accept Direct Access instructions to appear at Court hearings at all levels and to advise in a wide variety of areas, such as:
- Crime
- Inquests and inquiries
- All forms of fraud
- Road traffic
- All regulatory matters
- Licensing
- Professional disciplinary matters
- Sport – regulation and discipline
- Education law
- Landlord and tenant
- Contractual disputes
- Employment
- Trading Standards
- Health and Safety
Both levels of service are offered on a privately paying basis only.
If you think you might qualify, and wish to make an application for Legal Aid, you should consult a solicitor. At the moment, barristers cannot apply to the Legal Aid Agency for public funding on your behalf.
We prefer, whenever possible, to offer services on the basis of a single fixed fee agreed at the outset. We find that for many clients the greatest area of concern in instructing a lawyer is the unpredictable nature of the final bill. A fixed fee system gives our clients the certainty of knowing the end cost from day one.
Using the services of experts of any kind is never cheap, of course, but not using an expert when one is truly required may prove far more expensive, ultimately.
We aim to be open and transparent about how we calculate fees. As a guideline we apply the following rates, although the agreed fee in an individual case may vary dependent on the complexity of the case and the seniority of the barrister of your choice.
Whilst we give indicative rates for our barristers at all levels of experience it should be noted that the cases, we accept on a direct access basis are often not by their nature hugely complex compared with the general experience of our barristers, and to that extent a barrister of 5 years’ experience would often be an appropriate choice.
Rates do not include vat.
Hourly Rate | Half-Day Hearing | Full-Day Hearing | |
King’s Counsel | 375 | 1750 | 2500 |
Barrister 10 years’ experience | 225 | 1000 | 1500 |
Barrister 5 years’ experience | 175 | 750 | 1000 |
How we agree our fees with you
Whilst we always need to see the papers before giving a final quote, in general we work on the basis that a full day hearing in court will require four hours preparation, and a half day hearing or a conference with a client will require two hours preparation.
In cases where we suggest that the best option would be direct access supported by solicitors, any fee quoted will be inclusive of the cost of the litigation support required from the firm.
We will always aim to agree a single fixed fee at the outset, when we can, and will always offer a quote at the outset. There is at no commitment to the prospective client.
See below for more specific guidelines on costs in relation to Employment, Licensing and Motoring matters.
Our barristers can advise both employees and employers on unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal claims. Our barristers can also represent both employees and employers at the Employment Tribunal.
We can charge hourly/daily rates or fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work.
Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers in Citadel Chambers. Fees do not include VAT.
Our fixed fees may vary depending on your needs – for example, fees may be towards the higher end of the range if you need a more experienced barrister and/or you have a more complex case. If you have a particularly complex case, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below.
Stage of case | Ranges of fixed fees (estimates) |
| Written advice on your claim | £200 – £500 |
| Preparation of case, including conferences and drafting of any tribunal documents | £500 – £1500 |
| Preliminary hearing | £500 – £1000 |
| First day’s tribunal appearance | £750 – £1500 |
| Tribunal appearances per day, after the first day | £450 – £750 |
| Remedy hearing (to decide compensation) | £500 – £1000 |
Timescales
Timescales for our services vary depending on when cases are listed to proceed.
Written advice on your application (if required) will be available as required by the urgency of the case and no later than 5 working days where possible.
Hearing dates for local authority licensing committees, magistrates courts and crown courts are set in advance and are rarely within our control.
If the local authority licensing committee refuses your application, appeals must be made to the Magistrates’ Court within 21 days.
Licensing application – Fees
We charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work. Below we provide estimates based on the averages of fixed fees for barristers in Citadel Chambers. Fees do not include vat.
Your fixed fees may vary depending on your needs – for example, your fees may be towards the higher end of the range if you need a more experienced barrister and/or you have a more complex application. If you have a particularly complex application, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below.
Stage of case | Ranges of fixed fees (estimates) |
Written advice on your application | £200– £500 |
Preparation, including conferences and drafting of application | £400 – £800 |
Local authority licensing committee hearing. | £450 – £900 |
Appeal to the Magistrates’ Court – initial hearing | £ 450– £900 |
Appeal to the Magistrates’ Court – full hearing | £450– £1200 |
Timescales
Timescales for our services really depend on when cases are listed by the court.
We charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work. Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers in Citadel Chambers. Fees do not include vat.
Your fixed fees may vary depending on your needs – for example, your fees may be towards the higher end of the range if you need a more experienced barrister and/or you have a complex case. If you have a particularly complex case, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below.
We have included estimates for pre-hearing conferences and advice in writing, although they are rarely required in road traffic cases.
Rarely, there may be additional costs if expert reports are required (for example analysis in the case of excess alcohol matters) of approximately £200 plus vat.
Stage of case | Ranges of fixed fees (estimates) |
Written advice on your case | £200 – £500 |
Pre hearing conferences | £250– £400 |
Guilty pleas ( including preparation ) | £350 – £800 |
First appearance (pre-trial court appearance) | £400 – £600 |
First day of trial | £500– £800 |
Court appearances per day, after the first day of trial | £400 – £700 |
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How to instruct a barrister
All information is correct as of 2023, but fees are estimates only. For the most accurate fixed fee estimate, please contact the clerks.
Our clerks will explain the process to you and should be able to tell you if your problem is likely to fall within the ambit of the Direct Access scheme. If so, and if you decide to proceed and consult a barrister directly, the clerks will be able to advise you as to the most suitable barrister at Citadel Chambers to deal with your problem.
If you would like to enquire about consulting a barrister directly, please contact our clerks.
We deal with everything from the most serious, complex and high-profile cases to everyday matters.
Get to know our team of experienced Barristers here at Citadel Chambers.