This article is based on personal experience of using the Direct Access scheme and includes practical advice for anyone considering the same approach.
If you are facing a court hearing and cannot afford a solicitor, or simply do not want to pay for one, there is an option that many people do not know about. It is called Direct Access, sometimes referred to as Public Access, and it allows you to instruct a barrister directly without going through a solicitor first. This can save you a significant amount of money while still giving you professional legal representation in court.
What is Direct Access?
Traditionally, if you needed a barrister to represent you in court, you had to hire a solicitor first. The solicitor would prepare your case, handle the paperwork, and then brief a barrister on your behalf. You would pay both the solicitor and the barrister, which made the whole process very expensive.
The Direct Access scheme, which has been available since 2004 but was expanded significantly in 2013, changed all that. Under Direct Access, you can go straight to a barrister. You explain your case, they advise you on your prospects, and if appropriate they represent you in court. There is no solicitor in the middle and no solicitor fee to pay.
How Much Can You Save?
The savings can be substantial. A solicitor might charge you several thousand pounds to prepare a case before the barrister even gets involved. With Direct Access, you are only paying for the barrister. For a straightforward hearing, for example, you might pay a few hundred pounds for a Direct Access barrister rather than several thousand for the solicitor and barrister combined.
Many Direct Access barristers offer fixed fees, so you know exactly what you are paying before you commit. This is a far cry from the open-ended hourly billing that solicitors sometimes use, where the final bill can come as a nasty surprise.
What Cases Can a Direct Access Barrister Handle?
Direct Access barristers can represent you in most types of case, including:
Family cases such as child arrangement orders, divorce financial settlements, and domestic violence injunctions. Employment disputes including unfair dismissal claims at the employment tribunal. Civil claims and contract disputes. Landlord and tenant issues. Immigration hearings. Criminal cases, although this is more limited and depends on the barrister and the seriousness of the charge. Planning appeals and regulatory matters.
There are some things a Direct Access barrister cannot do. They generally cannot conduct litigation on your behalf, which means they cannot issue court proceedings or file documents at court for you. In practice, this means you may need to handle some of the administrative side yourself, such as filing forms and serving documents. But the barrister can tell you exactly what to do and draft everything for you.
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One of the advantages of the Direct Access approach is that it encourages you to take an active role in your own case. Rather than handing everything to a solicitor and waiting, you are involved from the start. Many people find this empowering, and it also keeps costs down because you are not paying a solicitor to do things you can do yourself.
Gathering your evidence, organising your documents, and writing out a clear timeline of events are all things you can do before your barrister gets involved. The more prepared you are, the less time the barrister needs to spend getting up to speed, and the lower your bill will be. There are also free legal tools available online that can help you prepare your paperwork and understand the court process before you instruct anyone.
How to Find a Direct Access Barrister
Not all barristers accept Direct Access work. Those who do must have completed additional training and hold a Public Access licence from the Bar Standards Board. The easiest way to find one is through the Bar Council website, which has a search tool specifically for finding Direct Access barristers by location and area of law.
You can also search on directories like Direct Access Portal or simply search for "direct access barrister" along with your area of law and location. Many barristers now have their own websites with clear information about their fees and the types of case they handle.
When you contact a barrister, they will usually offer a brief initial conversation to assess whether your case is suitable for Direct Access. Some offer this for free, others charge a small consultation fee. Use this conversation to get a feel for whether they understand your situation and whether you are comfortable working with them.
Is It Right for You?
Direct Access works best when your case is relatively straightforward and you are willing to do some of the legwork yourself. If you are organised, can follow instructions, and are comfortable handling paperwork, it can save you a great deal of money while still giving you expert representation where it matters most, which is in the courtroom itself.
It may not be the best option if your case is very complex, involves large volumes of documents, or requires ongoing litigation management over many months. In those situations, a solicitor managing the case day to day may still be worth the expense.
But for many people facing a court hearing, whether it is a first time in court for a family matter, a dispute with an employer, or a civil claim, Direct Access offers a genuine middle ground between representing yourself with no legal help at all and paying full solicitor and barrister fees that you cannot afford.
A Personal Note
This section is based on personal experience.
I used the Direct Access scheme myself for a legal case. I prepared all of the court documents myself using an AI assistant, which effectively replaced the work a solicitor would have done, and then filed them with the court. I then instructed a barrister directly to represent me at the hearing. The barrister was excellent, the cost was a fraction of what a solicitor would have charged, and I felt far more in control of my own case than I would have done handing everything over to a solicitor. It was time consuming, but it saved a significant amount of money and I found the whole process genuinely interesting.
Solicitors quoted me around £50,000 for the case. Using Direct Access with an AI assistant to prepare the documents, I am not even close to £5,000 so far. As of April 2026, the case is still ongoing and I do not yet know the outcome, but I will update this article with my findings once it concludes. Whatever happens, the savings have been extraordinary.
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