Direct Briefing
There can be a number of significant advantages, in appropriate matters, for in-house lawyers briefing barristers directly.
The Barristers of Level Twenty Seven Chambers are pleased to offer a high level of service for corporate and government counsel wishing to take advantage of direct briefing.
Advantages of Direct Briefing in appropriate matters
Engaging a barrister directly can offer significant advantages for in-house counsel, including cost savings, convenience, and quicker turnaround of work product.
Direct briefing is most appropriate for general advisory work, pre-litigation strategy, mediations and (in some cases) less complex court appearances.
Direct briefing is not appropriate for more complex matters, in which an external firm of solicitors who have the resources to undertake detailed factual investigations, manage large numbers of documents and manage complex litigation should be retained. The barristers of Level Twenty Seven Chambers have close working relationships with full-service and specialist firms of solicitors, and can provide assistance to help you decide the right firm of solicitors to assist in more complex matters.
Finding the right barrister
We encourage you to contact our Practice Manager, Daniel Perry, in relation to our barristers’ suitability and availability for any matter in which you require assistance. He is both knowledgeable and frank in his appraisal of our barristers’ availability and has access to the diaries and hourly/daily rates of all barristers in Chambers, to ensure he can respond swiftly and effectively.
In addition, the ‘find a barrister’ page on our website offers an excellent platform for accessing information about the practices and expertise of barristers in Chambers and the areas of law in which our members specialise. This page allows you to filter barristers by practice area and seniority, and immediately download their CV’s for internal review.
Briefing our barristers
The process of instructing a barrister at Level Twenty Seven Chambers is straightforward.
Conventionally, a hard copy or digital brief (containing all relevant documents arranged in a logical order) along with a comprehensive set of instructions is provided. Our Practice Manager can assist you in the process of compiling a hard copy brief.
We appreciate that providing a hard copy brief may not always be practicable, particularly when advice is sought urgently. That should not prevent you from seeking our assistance. For these matters, instructions and supporting documentation can be provided electronically to our Practice Manager (or, by prior arrangement, to a barrister directly).
Our members will be able to address a matter with the most efficiency if the instructions you provide (whether by hard copy or electronically) contain a summary of the relevant facts, identify the key documents you wish the barrister to consider, and set out a list of questions or issues that you would like the barrister to consider. You are also encouraged to include any further observations or preliminary views about the issues in respect of which you are seeking advice.
Shortly after receiving the hard-copy or electronic brief, a costs agreement and disclosure of costs will be forwarded to you on behalf of the barrister. This document will confirm the barristers’ rates, specify how invoices are to be rendered and, where the scope of work is reasonably defined, contain the barristers’ estimate of costs for the work which is to be undertaken.
Please note that an initial cost estimate can be provided on request through our Practice Manager, prior to any formal instruction.
