Directly Instruct the Barrister of Your Choice
Direct Access allows your organisation to instruct barristers directly without the need to go through a solicitor. Historically, you had to instruct a solicitor in most cases before you could instruct a barrister to advise you or represent you in a hearing. It means that you can now purchase the specialist employment law advice and representation that you need, without the additional cost of an intermediary.
There will always be certain types of complex cases where you still need a solicitor, but we can advise you of this if the need arises.
Why use Direct Access?
Reduce your organisation’s legal spend, by avoiding the costs of a solicitor acting as an intermediary.
Avoid pitfalls of other "cut-price” legal services providers, who rely on paralegals and unqualified tribunal advocates/consultants. Instead, obtain advice and representation from a trained and qualified barrister whose main professional expertise is to appear in courts and tribunals. See why you should instruct a No5 Employment Law Barrister below.
Our barristers’ advice will be generally legally privileged and therefore would not have to be disclosed in any court or tribunal proceedings, whereas advice from a non-legally qualified consultant would not be privileged and may need to be disclosed. See the section on how we can help you below.
Access only the legal advice and representation that you need quickly and cost-effectively – in most cases, our barrister’s hourly rate is considerably less than a similarly experienced solicitor, because our overheads are considerably less. We make a PACT with all our clients to ensure a high-quality service.
How we can help you
Our barristers can deal with every type of employment law query and appear at every level of court or tribunal, from the Employment Tribunal through to the Supreme Court and European Court.
We offer the following services:
User-friendly written advice at any stage of any process concerning a Human Resources issue (e.g. preliminary advice before action is taken, advice when a claim is brought, or advice as to whether to appeal a decision).
- Drafting documents, (e.g. employment contracts, compromise/settlement agreements, disciplinary letters).
- Drafting court/tribunal documents (e.g. ET3 Response, High Court Defence, Disclosure Lists, Witness statements).
- Negotiation with Claimants.
- Representation at a hearing.
- Investigations and Injunctions.
Why instruct a No5 Employment Law Barrister?
You have a choice of over 20 employment law specialist barristers qualified to take direct access instructions in the Employment Group with the collective experience to cover every conceivable type of employment law claim, ranging from the simplest wages and breach of contract claims, through unfair dismissal, discrimination, equal pay and whistle-blowing claims, to the most complex multi-party TUPE claim.
You benefit from national coverage, our barristers being based in London, Birmingham, Bristol and East Midlands, who travel to every tribunal and court in the UK.
Our barristers’ experience ranges from newly qualified to Queens Counsel (QC).
Our barristers act for a whole range of employers with specialists focussing on the public sector (local authorities and central government, health/NHS, NDPBs), charities, and private sector (banking, energy, financial services, leisure, manufacturing and industry, retail, pharmaceuticals, professional services, and telecoms).
For more information or if you have a need to instruct one of our barristers through Direct Access, please call 0845 210 5555.
How much could it cost me?
Depending on your circumstances, we can help you find the right barrister at a price to suit your budget and level of enquiry.
The clerks in the area of your particular issue can help you find the right Barrister and give you an indication of the cost.
To assist you further we have set out below some more common examples of costings and the relevant Clerks who can assist you.
Employment Tribunal Cases - Costs Document
