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Text Box: Clear and practical advice, drafting and advocacy directly from a barrister specialising in education, licensing, housing, planning law, boundary disputes and other civil matters

 

Ian Jones     www.direct-barrister.com

I am a barrister with over 15 years experience.  Like most barristers, I am self-employed and work with a group of other independent barristers in a shared office or “chambers”, with shared support staff or “clerks”.  Unlike most barristers, I carry out some of my work directly for a client rather than through a solicitor – this is called “direct access”.

My areas of direct access work include education, licensing, housing, planning, boundary disputes and other civil work such as drafting contracts and handling personal injury claims.  For a more comprehensive list of my practice areas, please see my Chambers website entry.

 

Clear and practical help

I provide a fast and efficient service – normally three weeks for paperwork, unless it’s urgent or especially long or complicated.  You can contact me by phone (via my clerks on 0116 255 9144) – if I am in court or out of the office I will normally return your call within 48 hours.  I prefer to work by email (legal@direct-barrister.com), and won’t charge you for a long advice where a short paragraph will do just as well.  My advice will be clear and practical, not full of legal jargon. 

 

Where do I work?

I am based at New Walk Chambers in Leicester.  I attend hearings throughout the Midlands but am happy to travel further afield as required.  When we need to meet (a conference) this can be at my Chambers in Leicester, or at a convenient court, or I can travel to you.  I also have full web-conferencing facilities.

For paperwork and advice by phone or email, distance is no object!

 

Is there any work that I cannot do? 

I do not undertake criminal, family or immigration work (not usually available under direct access anyway).

I am not allowed to take legal aid work or no-win-no-fee work under direct access, though I will do this work through a solicitor.

As a barrister, I am not allowed to handle money on your behalf.  I cannot issue court documents, instruct experts or send letters to the other side in a dispute.  I can draft these documents for you to send – and this will be more cost-effective.  For a more details of the rules on direct access to barristers, please click here.

If I am not available (e.g. I am already booked for a court hearing) or if there is a conflict of interests (e.g. I know one of the parties in the case), I will refer you to another direct access barrister or to a solicitor.

Finally, if at any stage I feel that it would be in your best interests or the interests of justice for you to instruct a solicitor, I cannot act for you.  My clerks will refer you to a suitable solicitor, and if you wish, the solicitor can then instruct me.

 

What will it cost?

It will usually be cheaper to instruct a barrister directly than to use a solicitor of equivalent experience.  This is because under direct access, you will carry out much of the routine work yourself, rather than paying a solicitor (or their assistant) to do it for you.  If at any stage I think it is in your best interests to instruct a solicitor for part of the work (e.g. because it would be more cost effective) I will tell you so – it is my professional duty.

I will quote a fixed fee for paperwork , conferences and hearings rather than charging by the minute.   For hearings and meetings within a 100 mile radius of Leicester, I will charge mileage only (not travel time).  Usually, my clerks will arrange my fees with you.

In each case, the fee will depend on the amount of preparation required, the value of any claim, whether it is urgent and how complicated the matter is.  However, under the direct access scheme you only pay for the barrister, not the solicitor as well. My fees agreed under the direct access scheme are payable in advance – that way, you are not paying a higher rate to cover someone else’s bad debt.

I will always ask you to check whether you can get funding for legal costs from anywhere.  Where public funding (legal aid) is an option, or where you want a “no-win-no-fee” arrangement, I will refer you to a solicitor.  The rules on “direct access” do not allow me to take on such work without a solicitor (I will happily do so with a solicitor).

For further details of fees, please click here or contact my clerks.

 

 

How do you instruct me?

 

The simplest way to is to send me details of your case / enquiry

 

By email:      legal@direct-barrister.com

or by fax:      0116 255 9084

 

Alternatively, you can contact my clerk:

 

By phone:    0116 255 9144

By post:        New Walk Chambers,

                        27 New Walk,

                        Leicester LE1 6TE

Text Box: Please provide as much detail as possible, including: Your name, address, phone number & email If your enquiry is on behalf of an organisation, please provide their contact details too Names and addresses (if known) of other parties For court cases, tell me what stage the case has reached Brief details of what the matter is about Tell me what you want me to do – Provide written advice? Draft a letter? Draft a claim form or defence? Give you advice face-to-face? Attend a hearing or meeting with you? Any deadlines? If you want me to prepare a response to a document, is it dated and when did you receive it? Is any hearing date fixed? How you first heard of me

SCHOOL APPEALS

 

Expert advice & support

· How to put your best case

· Completing the appeal form

· Representing you at the  appeal

 

Primary - Secondary - Grammar

 

For all admission appeals

legal@direct-barrister.com

or call Ian

on 0116 255 9144

Full service also available for exclusion appeals