Client service

One of 9BR Chambers primary objectives is ‘to provide an excellent legal service to its clients in the area of criminal law’.  To this end, these Chambers and its barristers accept and discharge their responsibility to ensure that the needs, concerns and interests of our clients are constantly kept in view, and addressed with professionalism, courtesy and respect. This duty of care extends beyond professional and lay clients to anyone who visits Chambers.

Barristers at 9BR Chambers who are authorised to practise in England and Wales can be found on the Barristers' Register. This shows whether they have a current practising certificate and any disciplinary findings.

Maintaining service expectations:

Our barristers will endeavour to provide legal services promptly and efficiently however there may be occasions when timescales cannot be met due to:

  • Counsel's availability
  • Availability of the client or relevant third parties
  • Complexity of the case
  • Amount of papers to be reviewed
  • The need for additional information or documents

Fee structures and pricing models

Because our barristers cover a wide variety of work, a variety of pricing models are available. The most common are brief and refresher fees, hourly rates, fixed fees and Conditional Fee Agreements. Professional, licensed access and lay clients may contact the clerks to obtain a quotation for legal services.

Chambers written policy serves:

  • To act as a focal point for information on Chambers policy and practice
  • To provide a high standard of service and client care
  • To ensure compliance with Chambers procedure

Our management structure is tailored to ensure standards are met and maintained through training, monitoring and management review. This is a cyclical process involving planning, action, review and evaluation of the stated aims and objectives defined by the Management Committee, as well as looking at the effectiveness of procedures. Management reviews are conducted by each of our committees.  At every Management Committee meeting, the Senior Clerk or Chambers Director reviews the effectiveness of clerking procedures. Furthermore, an overall Management Review takes place annually to consider the progress of 9BR Chambers in the previous year.

Complaints

We hope that the outcome of this approach is a high class service that will exceed expectation. However, if you do have any concerns we will make every effort to resolve them and we have both informal and formal routes in place for you to raise your concerns.

Download our Complaints Procedure

The Legal Ombudsman's Office provides data regarding decisions in the previous 12 months. This allows you to see whether a barrister was required to provide a consumer with a remedy. This data can be accessed using the link below.

https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/

"The clerks are communicative and nothing is too much trouble for them. If a problem arises, the chances are they have dealt with it perfectly before you even know about it.” “Their clerks are very efficient, especially senior clerk Paul Outen.” Chambers director Martin Secrett leads the clerking team. (Chambers UK, 2020).
The ‘great’ service provided by the set’s clerking team is thanks to senior clerk Paul Outen’s leadership. ‘Paul is always willing to accommodate our needs and takes time to understand the nature of requests and act accordingly.’ Communication between the clerks and clients is ‘consistent and friendly’. Russell Good is the first junior clerk and Martin Secrett is chambers director. (Legal 500, 2020)

For more information

Complaints procedure