How to Instruct Us and Information About Our Services

Devereux Chambers is not a legal entity (unlike a company or a law firm) and does not provide legal services.

Each individual member of Devereux is a barrister in independent practice registered with and regulated by the Bar Council and the Bar Standards Board of England and Wales. This means that each member of Devereux Chambers is authorised to practise as a self-employed barrister in England and Wales. They are sole practitioners, not partners or employees. You can download or search the Bar Standards Board Barristers’ Register, which holds the details of all barristers authorised to practise in England and Wales, by clicking here.

Members of Devereux Chambers are sometimes instructed to act on behalf of opposing parties to a case. From time to time they also appear before other members or former members of Devereux Chambers in their capacities as Judges, Deputy Judges, Arbitrators, Mediators, and other similar positions. Strict protocols are in place to preserve client confidentiality.

Administrative, operational and support functions are provided to members of Devereux Chambers by Devereux Chambers Services Limited (“DCSL”), a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales (number 08939089). DCSL’s registered office is Devonshire House, 1 Devonshire Street, London, United Kingdom, W1W 5DR and its VAT number is GB 127 1046 46.

Neither Devereux Chambers nor Devereux Chambers Services Limited provides legal services.

• How to Instruct a Devereux Barrister

  There are three main routes of access to a barrister. 

  1) Professional Client Access 

  The following individuals may instruct barristers, either on behalf of clients or on their own account: 

  •  Solicitors 

  •  Other authorised litigators 

  •  Parliamentary agents, patent agents, trademark agents and Notaries 

  •  European lawyers registered with the Law Society 

  •  Employed barristers and/or European lawyers registered with the Bar Council 

  •  Legal Advice Centres designated by the Bar Council 

  •  Licensed conveyancers in matters in which they are providing conveyancing services (in limited areas of work) 

  •  Foreign lawyers (for advice only, in limited areas of work)

  2) Public Access

  Members of the public and commercial and non-commercial organisations are able to instruct barristers directly on most civil matters if the barrister accepts public access work.

  A number of our members have particular expertise in representing companies who do not have their own in-house legal capabilities. 

  To discuss which barristers at Devereux Chambers accept public access work, please contact the practice managers. 

  Please see the dropdown on Public Access for more detailed information. 

  3) Licensed Access

  There are a number of professional organisations and individuals who are able to instruct a barrister using the Licensed Access Scheme. The scheme allows professionals to instruct a barrister to conduct a case in an area in which they are a specialist, such as insurance or accountancy, without the need to also instruct a solicitor. 

  A list of the organisations and individuals who have a license can be found on the Bar Standards Board website by clicking here.

   

  For further information about instructing a barrister, see the Bar Council website.

• Public Access (instructing a barrister directly)

  The Public Access scheme allows members of the public to instruct a barrister directly. Some of our barristers accept instructions from businesses or the public directly under scheme. A useful guide published by the Bar Standards Board can be accessed by clicking here.

  The majority of cases which our members accept under the Public Access Scheme are employment cases which are heard in the Employment Tribunal. 

  Fees

  A number of factors will be taken into account when estimating or agreeing the fees for your case. This includes:  

  • the complexity and nature of your case 
  • the barrister’s year of call (year of call is based on the date they were called to the bar. In other words, when they officially became a barrister.) 
  • whether the hearing will take place in London or elsewhere in the country. 

  Detailed information on fees can be found in the dedicated dropdown. However, below provides an indication of what to expect.   

  If your claim is reasonably straight forward, to be heard at a tribunal within the M25, and lasting no more than a day, we would expect the hearing fees to be as follows: 

  • A barrister of 1-5 years call:  £1250 - £2500 plus VAT 
  • A barrister of 6-10 years call: £2500 - £4000 plus VAT 

  If your matter is more complicated, requiring more preparation and a hearing of 1 - 2 days, and is to be heard at a tribunal within the M25, the fees are likely to be as follows: 

  • 1-5 years call: Brief fee* £2000 - £3000 with £1000/£1250 refresher fee (plus VAT) 
  • 6-10 years call: Brief fee £3000 - £4500 with £1250/£1750 refresher fee (plus VAT) 
  • 11-15 years call: Brief fee £4500 - £5500 with £2000/£2500 refresher fee (plus VAT) 

  *A brief fee is the fee for the barrister to prepare for the hearing and includes the first day of the hearing. A refresher fee is charged for each day of the hearing that follows the first. 

  If you have a complex claim which is likely to last for 4-5 days, to be heard at a tribunal within the M25, and probably involving a number of witnesses, the fees are likely to be as follows: 

  • 1-5 years call: Brief fee £3500 - £6500 with £1000/£1250 refreshers (plus VAT) 
  • 6-10 years call: Brief fee £6000 - £10,000 with £1250/£1750 refreshers (plus VAT) 
  • 11-15 years call: Brief fee £9000 - £15,500 with £2000/£2500 refreshers (plus VAT) 

  These fees also include a meeting with you in the run up to the hearing.  

  There are additional fees if you require further assistance, such as extra meetings or drafting of documents. This work is normally be charged by reference to the barrister's hourly rate. The hourly rates are likely to be as follows: 

  • 1-5 years call: £75 - £125 per hour 
  • 6-10 years call: £125 - £200 per hour 
  • 11-15 years call: £200 - £300 per hour 

  Our practice managers would be happy to help you choose the right barrister for your case.

• Fees

  At the start of any legal dispute it is important to know how much it is likely to cost. Our practice managers are happy to discuss the likely fees for your case.

  A number of factors will be taken into account when estimating or agreeing the fees for your case, including the complexity and nature of your case and the seniority of the barrister you choose to instruct. 

  We can use a number of different criteria when calculating the fees for a case, and our practice managers will help you work out which fee structure is most appropriate for you and your case. These could include, but are not limited to: 

  • fixed fees 
  • capped fees 
  • hourly rates

  In many cases we can confirm an estimate once your barrister has had the opportunity to review all the material you have provided. 

  Long running cases are much more difficult to predict, particularly at the early stages. In such instances, we often agree the fees for each stage of the dispute prior to commencing work on that stage. 

  In all cases it is important that you provide us with all the relevant information. Not providing all the relevant information can severely affect the accuracy of estimates. 

  Personal Injury

  In personal injury cases for claimants, we accept cases with merit on a no win, no fee basis (Conditional Fee Agreement) via an instructing solicitor. 

  Commercial

  In commercial cases which meet a number of specific criteria, we may be able to assist you in obtaining funding for your case via a litigation funder or enter into a mixed (or hybrid) conditional fee agreement, which would mean you would pay less than the standard fees for your case on an ongoing basis and the remaining fees plus an additional fee will be charged when your case is successful. 

• Delivery of services

  We are happy to estimate or agree a timescale for the provision of your service or services. However, external factors can affect timings. Factors include the approach the opposing party takes to the dispute, capacity of the courts and tribunals, and changes to the law. Factors such as barrister availability and the quality of the material you provide to support your case can also lead to a change in the timetable. 

• Confidentiality and Data Protection

  Our Standard Contractual Terms permit members of Chambers to share confidential information provided to them with pupils (including mini-pupils), who are subject to strict contractual obligations of confidentiality. Members of Chambers will only share this information on a case by case basis where they consider it is appropriate to do so.

  Members of Chambers are data controllers under the Data Protection Act 1998 and must process data in a manner which is compliant with the Act. In instructing members of Chambers on the terms set out above, you permit sharing of personal data and sensitive personal data with pupils and mini-pupils for training purposes.  Professional clients should bring to their lay clients’ attention the fact that confidential information may be shared in this way.
  
  Any professional or lay client should contact the member of Chambers or the practice managers if he or she does not wish confidential information or data to be treated in this way. Individual members of Chambers remain personally responsible for confidentiality and data security.

• Complaints Procedure

  We are committed to providing a first-class service to all of our clients, however, should you have cause to complain, the procedure to follow is set out here.  

  Any complaint should be addressed to Andrew Burns KC, Head of Chambers, who will confirm receipt and initiate the process. A lay client may complain directly to Devereux without going through a solicitor or other intermediary. 

  If the complainant remains dissatisfied following Chambers’ written response to the complaint, they may complain to the Legal Ombudsman. A referral to the Legal Ombudsman must be made within specific time periods: 

  • within six months of our final response to the complaint; and 
  • within six years of the date the issue occurred; or 
  • within three years of the date the complainant became aware of the issue. 

  The Legal Ombudsmen can be contacted through www.legalombudsman.org.uk, by email (enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk), or by telephone (0300 555 0333). Alternative complaints bodies (such as Ombudsman Services, www.ombudsman-services.org exist which are approved to deal with complaints should both parties wish to use such a scheme.

  Previous decisions of the Legal Ombudsmen can be accessed by clicking here

• Standard Contractual Terms

  Privately-funded Work

  Unless otherwise agreed in writing, individual members of Chambers accept privately funded instructions from authorised persons on the Standard Contractual Terms for the Supply of Legal Services by Barristers to Authorised Persons 2020 (the “Standard Contractual Terms”). 

  The Standard Contractual Terms are available here.

  Conditional Fee Agreements

  For most CFA cases undertaken by Chambers, members use the latest Association of Personal Injury Lawyers/Personal Injury Bar Association (APIL/PIBA) model agreement. 

  Please click here to view the current terms and conditions and CFA template.

  Modified terms can be agreed for the purposes of work being undertaken under a CFA when solicitors are acting under a CCFA. For further information please contact Glenn Billenness.