Contractual terms
1MCB Chambers uses the Bar Council’s New Standard Contractual Terms for the Supply of Legal Services by Barristers to Authorised Persons. These terms can be accessed here:
Where a matter is legally aided barristers at 1MCB Chambers will accept instructions on these terms:
Our clerks will be happy to discuss the terms for any specific piece of work.
Fees
The work we do
We undertake legal aid funded and privately funded work for professional, licensed access and/or lay clients. We provide a full range of legal services, including advice in conference and in writing, drafting of documents, negotiation, mediation and representation before courts and tribunals. You can find information about our expertise under the ‘areas of law’ tab of our website and also on the profile of each barrister. If you are a member of the public, you can find further information under the ‘Direct Access’ tab.
How to get a quotation
You may contact the clerks for a quotation. Our fees are flexible and competitive and reflect our commitment to delivering an excellent service to you.
In order to determine whether we can provide legal services to you we will need information about the service you require. We will endeavour to identify a barrister or barristers and provide you with a quotation within 24-36 hours. If you need a quotation urgently please let us know and we will try to accommodate your request.
For privately funded work, we generally charge a fixed fee or an hourly rate. Hourly rates vary from £200 to £500 per hour (plus VAT where applicable). In the unusual circumstances that the rate is higher, this will be clearly communicated to you in advance.
If you are a member of the public you may wish to instruct barristers at 1MCB Chambers directly through the Public Access scheme, without having to speak to a solicitor first. There is more information on this scheme here. The clerks can be contacted to give you an estimate of fees: this estimate will be calculated on either a fixed fee or hourly rate and will be based on an estimate of the time required to provide you with the relevant services.
Hourly rates and fixed fees vary depending on the type of work, type of hearing, urgency, complexity of the matter and seniority of the barrister. If a fixed fee is quoted we will not exceed that quote, without first contacting you. If an hourly rate is quoted we will give you an estimate of the number of hours required, and where it appears that the estimate of hours will be exceeded, we will contact you first before carrying out the work. The circumstances in which a fixed fee or estimate of hours might be exceeded include where the matter becomes more complex than initially advised or where there is unexpected work to do on a case.
It is difficult to give a general guide as to how long your case may take to conclude, as this depends on a number of factors, including your availability, your chosen barrister’s availability, the availability of relevant third parties (such as witnesses or opposing counsel), the legal and factual complexity of your case, the volume of documents or other material to be considered, whether any expert evidence is required, any failures by the opposite party in complying with directions, and the court or tribunal’s listing practices (which vary considerably depending on the area of law, geographical region and level of court). Our barristers will however endeavour to give you their best estimate of the timescales involved once they have considered the papers in your case.
The current rate of VAT will be added to all fees (unless exemptions apply). You can request our VAT number should you need it.
If you are not sure what kind of advice or legal services you need you can speak to our clerks and they will try to assist you. You can also find more information here at the Legal Choices website.
You might be entitled to legal aid. If you are eligible, you will need to find a solicitor (and they may later instruct a barrister if your case goes to court). You can find information about eligibility here.
You might already have insurance which covers your legal fees or you might be able to purchase after-the-event insurance. You can find more information here.