Transparency

Our barristers advise and represent clients:

• Clinical Negligence

Our team of Clinical Negligence Barristers are experienced in representing Claimants in all manner of claims against medical professionals from initial advice through to Joint Settlement Meetings, Mediations or Final Hearings, including the Inquest Proceedings.

• Chancery & Commercial

Members of Chambers are able to provide advice and representation to both Claimant and Defendant clients in a wide range of Chancery & Commercial claims including contract; Shareholder and Director Disputes; Partnership Agreements; Professional Negligence; Insolvency; Property; Landlord & Tenant; Probate & Inheritance Act.

• Crime

Our barristers act for clients in the Magistrates’ or Crown Courts, High Court and Court of Appeal, providing advice and representation in all Criminal Offences. The team also act on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service.

• Employment

Our barristers represent Claimants and Respondents in Employment claims in Tribunals, County Courts and High Courts in the full range of Employment claims. The team have experience in all matters including Unfair Dismissal; Constructive Dismissal; Race, Sex, Age Discrimination; Equal Pay; TUPE

• Family

Our family team represent clients in Public Law Children, Private Law Children, Family Injunction, Financial Remedy matters. We represent Applicants, Respondents, Parents, Interveners, Local Authorities and Guardians from First Hearings through to Final Hearings and if necessary Appeal Hearings. Clients are represented on both a private paying and legally aided basis.

• Personal Injury

The team represent Claimants and Defendants in all forms of Personal Injury claims from initial advice on prospects, liability & evidence through to Fast & Multi-track Trials and Mediations. These include Employers Liability, Road Traffic Accidents, Occupiers Liability cases with injuries ranging from sprains and fractures to brain and spinal injuries.

• Regulatory Enforcement

Our Regulatory team acts on behalf of individuals and companies from pre-charge, through the magistrates’ courts and Crown Courts. We also act on behalf of prosecuting authorities who bring cases through the Courts, such as the Health and Safety Executive and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The fee arrangement for barristers at Queen Square Chambers can vary considerably depending on the area of practice

• Clinical Negligence

Work in this discipline is generally funded under a Conditional Fee Agreement (no win, no fee) or on a privately paying basis. Fees are a mix of hourly rate for things such as advices and conference and fixed fees for Hearings and Mediations. There are also instances where legal aid is available but that is only in very specific circumstances.

• Chancery & Commercial

The work carried out in this area is usually privately funded basis although there are cases which some members of the team will be prepared to take forward on a Discounted Conditional Fee Agreement (no win, reduced fee). The suitability of a case for a discounted CFA is based on a number of factors, principally the prospects of success. The work is again a mix of hourly rates for written work and conferences and fixed fees for Hearings and Mediations. The team are happy, with enough information, to agree a fixed fee in advance of undertaking written work in order to give clients a level of certainty.

• Criminal

When acting on behalf of the defence, work in this area is usually legally aided and where the client is not eligible for legal aid we charge fixed fees or hourly rates for private clients. When prosecuting on behalf of the CPS we are publically funded and fees within this area are fixed.

• Employment

The work carried out in this area is usually privately funded basis. The work is again a mix of hourly rates for written work and conferences and fixed fees for Hearings and Mediations. With enough information fixed fees can be agreed in advance of undertaking written work or conferences in order to give clients a level of certainty. Some members of the team will accept certain cases on a Discounted Conditional Fee Agreement basis (no win, reduced fee). The suitability of a case for a discounted CFA is based on a number of factors, principally the prospects of success.

• Family

Family work is either legally aided or privately funded. The vast majority of Public Law Children work will be legally aided and is welcomed by the team. Private Law Children and Injunctions is a mix of legal aid and privately funded. This will be the result of your circumstances or the circumstances of the case and you are advised to contact a solicitor to discuss if you are eligible.

The work undertaken on cases involving Financial Remedy will be on a privately paying basis.

All family work that is undertaken on a privately paying basis will be a mix of hourly rates and fixed fees depending on what works best for each client.

• Personal Injury

Work in this discipline is generally funded under a Conditional Fee Agreement (no win, no fee) or on a privately paying basis. Fees are a mix of hourly rate for things such as advices and conference and fixed fees for Hearings and Mediations. Fees for Personal Injury work are also greatly affected by the Civil Procedure Rules and the Ministry of Justice Protocols for Low Value Personal Injury claims. Both of which limit the level of fees that are recoverable from the other side in the event of a successful conclusion to the claim.

• Regulatory Enforcement

Barristers who undertake Regulatory Enforcement work charge by their hourly rates.

A private fee for an advice will be based on the necessary or predicted reading, research, preparation and drafting time.

A private fee for a conference, hearing or mediation will be based on the necessary or predicted reading, preparation time as well as time engaged in conferences, negotiations, waiting, advocacy and reporting back.

Our barristers accept instructions under conditional fee agreements (“no win, no fee” agreements) and Discounted Conditional Fee Agreements (no win, reduced fee) in certain circumstances. For information, please contact the clerks on 0117 921 1966 or by email civil@qsc.law and employment@qsc.law.

Timescales for a case may vary depending on factors such as:

• Barristers’ availability
• Availability of client or relevant third parties
• Type of case
• Complexity of case
• Value
• The amount of papers which need to be reviewed
• The need for additional information and or documents
• The approach take by the other side
• Court waiting times
• Third parties intervening in the case

Barristers in chambers are regulated by the Bar Standards Board. You can search the Barristers’ Register on the Bar Standards Board’s website: https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/regulatory-requirements/the-barristers’-register/

This shows (1) whether a barrister has a current practising certificate, and (2) whether a barrister has any disciplinary findings, which are published on the Bar Standards Board’s website in accordance with their policy. Alternatively, you can contact the Bar Standards Board on 020 7611 1444 to ask about this (or e-mail ContactUs@BarStandardsBoard.org.uk).

Complaints

Chambers internal complaints procedure can be found here.

As detailed within our procedure, you may have the right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman. Clients can complain to the LeO if they are unhappy with the final response to their complaint, or if their complaint has not been dealt with in eight weeks; and Clients who have a right to complain to the LeO are individuals and, broadly speaking, small businesses and charities.

The full list of who has a right to complain to the LeO is available on their website: http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/?faqs=who-can-use-our-service

You can write to the Legal Ombudsman at:

Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WJ

Telephone number: 0300 555 0333
E-mail: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

You must complain to the Legal Ombudsman either within six years of your barrister’s actions/failure to act, or no later than three years after you should reasonably have known there were grounds to complain.

You must also complain to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving your barrister’s final response to your complaint.

More information about the Legal Ombudsman is available on their website: http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk

You can also search the decision data on the LeO’s website: https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/information-centre/data-centre/ombudsman-decision-data/

This shows providers which received an ombudsman’s decision in the previous calendar year, and whether the LeO required the provider to give the consumer a remedy. Alternatively, you can contact the LeO on 0300 555 0333 to ask about this (or e-mail enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk)

Our barristers can advise and represent you in court if you have a Contract case. We are happy to assist Claimants and Defendants in commercial or consumer issues.

Counsel can advise in writing or in conference and are also happy to attend hearings should the case proceed to Court.

Timescales

Timescales for our services may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the complexity and value of your case, the need for additional documents and the approach of the other side. As a guide, written advice on your case will be available within two to four weeks where possible. For court hearings, we would ideally need two weeks’ notice of the date of the hearing, however, we appreciate you may also need representation at short notice. If so, please contact the clerks and our barristers will aim to represent you at the hearing where possible.

Fees

We charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work. These fees will be payable before written work is provided or a hearing/ conference commences.

Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers in Queen Square Chambers. VAT will be charged on top of these fees.

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 or it has an unusually high volume of paperwork, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below. Please refer to our Public Access page for further information. Additional travel costs would depend on the location of the court venue or conference location.

If the value of the claim is over £25k or the Trial is listed for more than one day please contact the clerks

Contact Us

All information is correct as of June 2023, but fees are estimates only. For the most accurate fixed fee estimate, please contact the clerks on 0117 921 1966 or e-mail civil@qsc.law.

Our barristers can advise both Employees and Employers on unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal claims either in conference or in writing. We can also represent both Employees and Employers at the Employment Tribunal from preliminary stages, through to final hearings.

It may be that the issues in your case fall outside of the above categories, however we may still be able to assist. Please call a clerk on 0117 921 1966 or email employment@qsc.law to discuss your matter further.

Timescales

Timescales for our services may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the complexity of your case, the need for additional documents and the other side’s approach.

As a guide, written advice in your case will be available within two to four weeks where possible. For court hearings, we would ideally need two weeks’ notice of the date of the hearing, however, we appreciate you may also need representation at short notice. If so, please contact the clerks and we will aim to represent you at the hearing where possible.

As a guide more standard cases tend to have a hearing date within 4-6 months of a claim being made.

Fees

We charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work. These fees will be payable before written work is provided or a hearing/ conference commences. Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers in Queen Square Chambers. VAT will be charged on top of these fees.

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 or it has an unusually high volume of paperwork, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below. Please refer to our Public Access page for further information. Additional travel costs would depend on the location of the court venue or conference venue.

The quotes below are applicable for up to a 3 day hearing. If your hearing is listed for more than 3 days please contact the clerks.

Contact Us

All information is correct as of June 2023, but fees are estimates only. For the most accurate fixed fee estimate, please contact the clerks on 0117 921 1966 or e-mail employment@qsc.law.

Our barristers can advise and represent you in court throughout your financial remedy proceedings. We can advise you if you and your former partner cannot agree on Financial Matters during, or after, a divorce.

For example, you may not be able to agree on how assets should be divided, whether to sell our home or other assets, maintenance payments and pension sharing.

If you cannot agree, you can apply to a court for a financial order. You may also need to attend a number of court hearings – our Barristers are happy to be instructed to attend these hearings on your behalf.

Timescales

Timescales for our services may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the value and complexity of the assets involved, availability of documents, whether children are involved and even the approach of the other side.

As a guide, written advice in your case will be available within two to four weeks where possible. For court hearings, we would ideally need two weeks’ notice of the date of the hearing, however, we appreciate you may also need representation at short notice. If so, please contact the clerks and our barristers will aim to represent you at the hearing where possible.

Court Hearings for a financial order tend to take 6-12 months. This does not include possible appeals.

Fees

We charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work. These fees will be payable before written work is provided or a hearing/ conference commences. Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers in Queen Square Chambers. VAT will be charged on top of these fees.

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 assets in excess of £300,000. If you have a particularly complex case or it has an unusually high volume of paperwork, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below. Please refer to our Public Access page for further information. Additional travel costs would depend on the location of the court  or conference venue.

Contact Us

All information is correct as of June 2023, but fees are estimates only. For the most accurate fixed fee estimate, please contact the clerks on 0117 921 1966 or e-mail family@qsc.law.

Our barristers can advise and represent you in court if you are charged with a ‘summary only’ motoring offence. This is a motoring offence which can only be heard in the Magistrates’ Court. For example, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, careless driving, failing to stop or report and speeding.

Timescales

Timescales for our services may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the complexity of your case and the need for additional documents. If your case required a written advice, this will be provided within two to four weeks of receipt of all documentation.

If your case requires a conference, this will be fixed at the first opportunity after receipt of all case papers. This date will only be amended if your barrister becomes unavailable due to other professional commitments.

Fees

We charge fixed fees for each stage of these matters. Meaning we will charge you a set amount of money for all of the work involved in your case. Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers in Queen Square Chambers. VAT will be charged on top of these fees as shown.

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. We will not be able to confirm this until we have had receipt of all of your case papers.

Instances where fees could be higher than those quoted below:

Additional court hearings; Additional conferences; consideration of expert material such as accident investigator; providing assistance in instructing an expert witness. Should any of these instances occur we will contact you at the earliest opportunity and not undertake any chargeable work without your permission/agreement.

 Contact Us

All information is correct as of January 2023. Please note the above fees are estimates only. For the most accurate fixed fee estimate, please contact the clerks on 0117 9211966 or e-mail crime@qsc.law.

We will discuss the nature of your case and will require sight of your case papers to enable counsel to make an accurate assessment of the work involved. We will then contact you to discuss the fees, before providing you with a client contract letter confirming the way in which we will conduct your case, which we will require signed and returned to us before any work commences.

If you have had an accident that is not your fault and you wish to make a personal injury claim, our barristers can advise you on the prospects of succeeding in your claim.

Timescales

Timescales for our services may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the complexity of your case and the need for additional documents. As a guide, written advice in your case will be available within two to four weeks where possible.

Fees

The only Personal Injury work currently undertaken by the team is with regard to providing second opinions for the purposes of re-instating Legal Expenses Insurance

We charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work. These fees will be payable before written work is provided or a hearing/ conference commences.

Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers in Queen Square Chambers. VAT will be charged on top of these fees.

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 or it has an unusually high volume of paperwork, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below. Please refer to our Public Access page for further information.

If the value of the claim is over £25k or the Trial is listed for more than one day please contact the clerks.

 Contact Us

All information is correct as of June 2023, but fees are estimates only. For the most accurate fixed fee estimate, please contact the clerks on 0117 921 1966 or e-mail civil@qs-c.co.uk.

Our barristers can advise and represent you in court if you and your former partner cannot agree on arrangements for your child during, or after, a divorce or separation.

Examples of this could be that you may not be able to agree on where your child lives, when your child spends time with each parent or what school they go to. You may also wish to stop your former partner from making a decision about a child’s upbringing.

If you cannot agree with your former partner, you can apply to a court for an order. You may need to attend a number of court hearings from directions/ case management hearings, through to contested final hearings. Our barristers are available to assist in Court in all hearings.

Timescales

Timescales for our services may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the complexity of your case and the need for additional documents. The date your hearing is listed on will also impact upon whether a Barrister is available to assist.

As a guide, written advice on your case will be available within two to four weeks where possible. For court hearings, we would ideally need two weeks’ notice of the date of the hearing, however, we appreciate you may also need representation at short notice. If so, please contact the clerks and our barristers will aim to represent you at the hearing where possible.

Fees

We charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work. These fees will be payable before written work is provided or a hearing/ conference commences. Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers in Queen Square Chambers. VAT will be charged on top of these fees.

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 or it has an unusually high volume of paperwork, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below. Please refer to our Public Access page for further information. Additional travel costs would depend on the location of the court venue or conference location.

 Contact Us

All information is correct as of June 2023, but fees are estimates only. For the most accurate fixed fee estimate, please contact the clerks on 0117 921 1966 or e-mail family@qsc.law.

The Inheritance Act 1975 protects spouses (including former spouses), co-habitants, children and other dependants when a person dies without leaving sufficient money for their continued wellbeing.

Our barristers can provide you with advice in writing or in conference on whether you can make a claim under the Act. We can also assist with providing advice when a person dies and you are the beneficiary of the estate, but someone else makes a claim under the Act.

We may also be able to assist should your matter require a Court hearing. If this is applicable to your situation please contact the clerks to discuss.

Timescales

Timescales for our services may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the value and complexity of the deceased’s estate, your financial needs and those of any beneficiaries of the estate and the availability of documents. However claims under the act must be made within 6 months of the grant of Probate.

As a guide, written advice on your case will be available within two to four weeks where possible.

Please contact the clerks if your case is not covered in the above or is proceeding to Court.

Fees

We charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work. These fees will be payable before written work is provided or a hearing/ conference commences.

Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers in Queen Square Chambers. VAT will be charged on top of these fees.

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 or it has an unusually high volume of paperwork, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below. Please refer to our Public Access page for further information. Additional travel costs would depend on the location of the court venue or conference location.

For hearing fees, please contact the clerks.

 Contact Us

All information is correct as of  June 2023, but fees are estimates only. For the most accurate fixed fee estimate, please contact the clerks on 0117 921 1966 or e-mail civil@qsc.law.

Our barristers can advise and represent you in court should you have a Property, Landlord & Tenant, Rights of Way or Boundary Dispute case.

We are happy to advise Claimant and Defendants in writing or in conference and attend Court for hearings throughout the process, from injunctions to full hearings.

Timescales

Timescales for our services may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the complexity of your case, the need for additional documents and the approach of the other side.

As a guide, written advice on your case will be available within two to four weeks where possible. For court hearings, we would ideally need two weeks’ notice of the date of the hearing, however, we appreciate you may also need representation at short notice. If so, please contact the clerks and our barristers will aim to represent you at the hearing where possible.

Fees

We charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work. These fees will be payable before written work is provided or a hearing/ conference commences. Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers in Queen Square Chambers. VAT will be charged on top of these fees.

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 or it has an unusually high volume of paperwork, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below. Please refer to our Public Access page for further information. Additional travel costs would depend on the location of the court venue or conference location.

 Contact Us

All information is correct as of June 2023, but fees are estimates only. For the most accurate fixed fee estimate, please contact the clerks on 0117 921 1966 or e-mail civil@qsc.law.

Standard Public Access instructions, as detailed above, involve the Client conducting the litigation themselves however it is possible to instruct a Barrister to conduct Litigation too.

Robert Trevis has been granted an extension to his Practising Certificate by the Bar Council which enables him to also conduct litigation on a Public Access basis. Robert specialises in Chancery, and Family Law and is available for instructions in these areas.

This means he can assist with drafting, filing documents and forms with the court, preparing bundles, statements and corresponding with opposing parties.

If you feel that you wish to enquire about assistance with Litigation as well as Representation, please speak with the Clerks who can discuss your case and requirements to find the best way forward for you.

Proceeding with a Public Access Litigation instruction involves greater costs than standard Public Access Instructions. Counsel is necessarily engaged in more and ongoing work. Further there are administrative costs related to printing and compiling bundles if required. As a guide, Counsel’s fees for this work are £250-£300+vat per hour, though we may be able to agree a total fee for specific work if appropriate. It is Chamber’s policy that all fees must be paid in advance of work commencing. As conducting litigation is more bespoke, it is best to contact the Clerks who can provide an accurate quote for you to consider.

If you feel able to deal with the administrative tasks of your case yourself, and only require representation at Court or formal Advice on the best way forward then you may well be best placed utilising the standard Public Access scheme. The Clerks can discuss these options with you though and their relative costs.

Before proceeding with any Public Access Litigation instruction, we recommend that you consider if you would be eligible for Legal Aid, or if you have any insurance policies that may provide for Legal Assistance/ Cover.

If you wish to submit an enquiry please use the form on this webpage and indicate this would be a Public Access Litigation enquiry, or call the Clerks to discuss.