QUEENS COURT CHAMBERS

TRANSPARENCY & OUR FEES

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We do believe that at Queens Court Chambers our fees are realistic and competitive and that our fee structure is transparent.

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Privately funded fees are normally charged at an hourly rate of £250 per hour, taking into account the following:

 

In regards to Court Hearings

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• The nature of the hearing;

• Estimate of preparation time;

• Estimate of time spent in court;

• Complexity or novelty of case;

• Number and importance of documents to be considered;

• Any travel undertaken;

• Seniority of counsel;

• Lateness of instruction.

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In regards to Written Work

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• Time taken, including preparation and research to complete the work;

• Complexity of the case and issues at stake;

• Urgency of the work;

• Seniority of counsel;

• Skill, special knowledge and responsibility involved.

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Fees for court hearings must be agreed in advance and will often be referred to as the ‘brief fee’.  All fees must be paid in advance of any work being done or any attendance to ensure Counsel’s availability. This is normally where appropriate 48 hours in advance. The ‘brief fee’ will be based on the various factors as listed above and Chambers is not obliged to provide a detailed breakdown of fees. 

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Fees for written work are not always agreed in advance because we prefer to see the instructions or papers in order to assess the case before giving an estimate. Please contact us for further details.

 

Fees Structure List 

 

We have a full fees list for the following area of law:-

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• Immigration appeals (First-tier Tribunal)

• Crime and Summary only motoring offences 

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Please click on each in order to download full the version. For all other Fee Prices please contact us directly and we will be help to assist you.

 

Initial Consultations 

 

Initial consultations are charged at a fixed fee of £350. This consultation will last for 1 hour and a half and be face to face unless agreed otherwise. Any further agreed consultations will be charged at an hours rate of £250.

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Public Access Fees

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A barrister may charge in any of the following ways (or a combination thereof):

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1. A fixed fee for the entire case, advice or work required, as agreed with the client

2. An hourly rate, as agreed with the client with an estimate of the number of hours that may be involved.

3. A fixed fee for each stage of work undertaken by the barrister

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For more information about what is Public Access please click here.

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Terms of Business

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Both Clients and Solicitors will receive a terms of business letter from Queens Court Chambers (also known as a letter of engagement, client case letter and letter of introduction). A fee note prior to completion of the work or at regular intervals in a long-running case will be sent to Solicitors and an fee note can be sent to clients should it be requested. All accounts in respect of work undertaken on a private fee basis (court work and paperwork) are to be settled in advance of the fee note being submitted. If fee notes are not paid, we reserve the right to do no further work on the case until further payment is received. We adhere to the Bar Council’s Code of Practice for progressing payment of fees. The terms on which members of chambers offer their services, in the absence of express agreement to the contrary, are set out in The Standard Contractual Terms For The Supply Of Legal Services By Barristers To Authorised Persons 2012 (updated for the GDPR in 2018) as referred to in Rule rC30.9c of the BSB Handbook. You can download a full copy here.

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A Working Relationship 

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We work as a Team with our Clients and Solicitors in order to get the best results together. It's the only way we know! Please note we do not tolerate any abuse in any form, from clients, potential clients or any other. Should any person be deem to do so, we will terminate our professional relationship with them with immediately effect. This includes whether or not the case has concluded.*

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* Subject to the BSB Handbook - Code of Conduct

 

Legal Aid Cases 

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In legally aided cases, we will write to you at intervals requesting updates on the progress of the case and when you think the case is likely to conclude. A prompt response to these requests will enable us to keep our records up to date and avoid sending you unnecessary reminders.

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Pro Bono

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Queens Court Chambers is a proud supporter and member of Advocate, the Bar’s national charity that makes it possible for barristers to balance a dedicated practice with making a significant contribution to the community. The areas of Law where we offer Pro Bono Work is Human Rights, Criminal Deportation and Windrush Case. ​Due the the overwhelming enquires we received for Ms Robinson's legal assistance upon a daily basis, we try to allocate a certain amount of time per month to Pro Bono case but we can not help everyone. If we can assist we will but we can not do this for everyone and cases are assessed upon a case by case basis.​

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Conditional Fee Agreement

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We do not enter in Conditional Fee Agreement unless, in regards to your case, Ms Robinson had previously entered into such an agreement with you at her previous chambers and the matter has since been transferred to Queens Court Chambers.

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VAT

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We do not charge VAT for our fees but VAT may be charged by third party services and disbursements.

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Fixed Fees

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We conduct all our work on an agreed fixed fee basis.  There are no hourly rates and no hidden extras. At the outset, we will take time to understand your needs and agree both the scope of work and a timeframe for the work to be completed.  Once we know what you need and by when, we will offer you a range of fixed fees that will cover all of the work required. Our quote will assume that you will provide us with the necessary information to deliver the agreed scope of work within the agreed timeframe.  In discussion with you we may charge additional fees if the scope of work or timeframe changes for reasons beyond our control.

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Competitive Fees

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Our fees are highly competitive because, unlike many traditional barristers, we work directly with our clients, without the involvement of a solicitor.  This means that our clients only need to pay for one lawyer rather than two. We also keep our overheads and fixed costs down by using electronic case-management systems and other technologies that ensure a streamlined service for our clients.  Most Expenses Included. We do not bill separately for the usual running expenses of chamber such as UK telephone calls, general photocopying, general printing, standard stationery, standard document storage, UK postage or travel within London.

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Our fees do not include costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties (known as disbursements), such as Home Office fees, Court or Tribunal fees, independent expert fees and translation/interpretation fees.  Where such costs arise, you will be responsible for these, so that you always know exactly what is being paid and to whom.

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Time Scale 

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There will be occasions when circumstances change, for example where a court hearing unexpectedly extends beyond its time-estimate significantly, more information comes to light, or instructions are amended. When this happens we will always endeavour to notify clients in advance in circumstances where this may lead to an increase in the fees to be charged. Various factors will influence the timescales in which a barrister can complete a piece of advisory work. These include their availability, the amount of papers to be reviewed, the complexity of the case, and the need for any additional information or documents. We always seek to ensure that timescales for providing advice are adhered to but will notify the client if there is likely to be any delay and the reason for the same. 

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Insurance 

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Ms Priscellia Robinson has professional liability insurance provided by the Bar Mutual. The minimum cover which barristers must have is £500,000 although many members of chambers have cover in excess of this figure. Territorial coverage is world-wide subject to the terms of cover of the Bar Mutual. Their postal address is Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund Limited, 90 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 4ST.

 

Who regulates us?

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Ms Priscellia Robinsons is regulated by the Bar Standards Board and to find a Barrister or Ms Priscellia Robinson upon the Barristers' Register page please click here. Information about our complaints procedure, any right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman, how to complain to Legal Ombudsman and any time limits for making a complaint can be found here. 

 

Please contact us by email or telephone 0203 633 8598 to discuss your needs in more detail.

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All of the services we offer are bound by standard contractual terms: click here For more information about Barristers and their fees, please visit the Bar Standard Board for more information 

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