Practice Areas

The Benefits Of Instructing A Direct Access Civil Barrister

A firm of solicitors employing someone with the experience and expertise of Joseph Chiffers, or one of our other barristers, would charge their clients upwards of £250.00 per hour for his time, often as much as £350.00 per hour.  As direct access barristers, our fees are far lower than this and, in many cases, we offer a fixed fee service for legal advice.   

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With a fixed fee for our legal advice, you know exactly what you will have to pay from the outset, with no surprises.  Where we are not operating under a fixed fee arrangement, we will provide you with estimates for each stage of work and keep you informed of the costs throughout the case.

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The reason that we are able to offer low rates is because our overheads are very low, compared to conventional barristers' chambers and solicitors' firms.

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Joseph Chiffers and the company are authorised to conduct litigation which gives us flexibility in the legal services we can offer.  In some cases, it may be appropriate for you to instruct a firm of solicitors rather than instructing us directly; in which case you will be advised accordingly. 

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However, in most cases, you do not need a firm of solicitors to conduct litigation; many of the tasks performed are administrative and could be performed by you, if you have the time and the inclination.  This is known in the profession as “unbundling”. This of course represents a considerable saving in your legal costs.  If you instruct us, we will discuss unbundling with you in detail, so that you will be able to make an informed decision about the instructions you provide.