Public Access

The barrister members of chambers are barristers trading as sole practitioners and registered with the Bar Standards Board of England and Wales. They are governed by the Code of Conduct which can be viewed by clicking here. The Bar Standards Board's Barrister Register page can be viewed by clicking here.

Under the Public Access Scheme (PAS) members of the public, and commercial and non-commercial organisations can now instruct barristers directly on most civil matters.

Members of Chambers who have been approved by the Bar Council to accept work under the Public Access Scheme can be approached through the clerks with a request that instructions will be considered under the PAS. No solicitor needs to be retained to instruct counsel in such cases.

Please note that Members of Serle Court do not accept public access instructions in any area of work which is not within Chambers’ usual areas of expertise (for example, employment, immigration, licensing, personal injury, or crime), or in the following areas of practice:

• Advice under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
• Financial disputes arising out of divorce
• Winding up petitions

Information about instructing a Public Access barrister can be found on the Public Access Guidance for Lay Clients page on the Bar Standard’s Board’s website.

Those members who have been approved to accept such instructions are:

Kuldip Singh KC 

John Machell KC

Hugh Norbury KC

Prof Jonathan Harris KC (Hon.)

Andrew Francis

Thomas Braithwaite

Jonathan Fowles

Jonathan Upton

These members have indicated to the Bar Council the areas of work in which they will accept PAS instructions. These areas are shown on the Bar Council website or can be obtained from the clerks, who are always happy to assist those seeking information under the PAS.

The terms on which barristers accept instructions under the PAS can also be found on the Bar Council website.  The type of fee arrangement will be determined on a case by case basis. Our members generally charge an hourly rate, with brief fees and refreshers. In some cases, a fixed fee can be agreed.  We also consider Conditional Fee Agreements and partial Conditional Fee Agreements. The clerks are always happy to discuss fees and where requested will provide estimates. 

For further enquiries, please contact our Clerking Team.