Direct Access and the Right to Litigate

Any individual or corporate body can now go directly to a barrister for legal assistance and representation without having to involve a solicitor (or other intermediary). Until 2014, however, barristers were not permitted to “conduct litigation”, meaning that there were certain tasks, such as filing documents at court, serving them on other parties and going on the court record as acting for a party, which barristers were not permitted to carry out on their clients’ behalf.

Now, barristers may be authorised to conduct litigation, meaning that we can act as a true “one-stop shop” for dispute resolution. I have that authorisation, meaning that I can provide all the administrative and client care services traditionally provided by a solicitor, as well as the advice, drafting and advocacy services traditionally provided by barristers.