The mandatory rules for Barristers

In 2019, the regulatory body for barristers, the Bar Standards Board, introduced mandatory rules on price, service and redress transparency for all self-employed barristers and chambers. As a result, barristers must provide information about price, service and redress on all their websites and to consumers on request.

The mandatory rules require this Chambers to:

1. State that professional, licensed access and/or lay clients (as appropriate) may contact The Chambers of Yasmin Chawdhery to obtain a quotation for legal services.

This is displayed clearly on the Contact Us page. 

2.  Provide our contact details:

The contact details for The Chambers of Yasmin Chawdhery are available on the “Contact Us” page of this website. There is a phone number, an address and an email address you can use to contact us.

 3.  State an individual barrister’s, chambers’ or BSB entity’s most commonly used pricing models:

Our terms of business, including the various pricing and payment options are available on our website. If you are unsure about pricing, please feel free to contact us for an indication of the best available pricing model to suit your personal circumstances.

 4. State the areas of practice in which an individual barrister, chambers or BSB entity most commonly provides legal services:

Our expertise/services pages set out the main categories of law in which we have expertise but please feel free to contact us directly if you have a particularly unique issue and we may be able to assist you in finding the right expert for your case. Click on the “Menu” dropdown and click on the “Services” tab to see the main areas of law in which we have expertise.

5. State and provide a description of the barrister’s, chambers’ or BSB entity’s most commonly provided legal services:

Our services tab details our most commonly provided legal services. 

6. Provide information about the factors which might influence the timescales of the barrister’s, chambers’ or BSB entity’s most commonly provided legal services:

Our terms of business set out the factors that may impact on timescales. This is explored on this website under “Fees.”

7. Display “Barristers regulated by the Bar Standards Board”, on the homepage of our website.

This text is clearly displayed on every page of the website. It ensures our clients that they are using expert barristers. 

8. Display information about the complaints procedure, any right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman (LeO), how to complain to the LeO, and any time limits for making a complaint:

Our detailed complaints policy can be found on our website on a separate page labelled “Complaints.” This page also includes a link to the decision data on the LeO’s website.

9. Link to the Barristers’ Register page on our website.

A link to the barrister register can be found by clicking here:

https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/for-the-public/search-a-barristers-record/the-barristers-register.html

The BSB Register shows who has a current practising certificate and whether a barrister has any disciplinary findings which is published on the Barrister' Register in accordance with BSB policy. 

Additional transparency rules for Public Access work

There are also additional transparency rules for those undertaking Public Access work. You will find a link to the Public Access Guidance for Lay Clients on the BSB’s website. This can also be accessed here:

https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/for-the-public/finding-and-using-a-barrister/how-to-instruct-a-barrister/public-access-guidance-for-lay-clients.html

Yasmin Chawdhery is able to work on both a fixed fee or an hourly rate. Although it is more normal to agree a fixed fee for specific, identified work, this will be discussed with you in advance to reach a suitable agreement as to what is most appropriate in your specific circumstances. The agreement will be stated in a written contract. We do not accept payment by Credit or Debit Card. The most common payment method is BACS transfer directly into your barrister’s professional account. 

For public access work, Yasmin Chawdhery charges anywhere between £200 and £750 per hour, depending on the complexity of the case. Please contact us to discuss pricing in more detail. Where a fixed fee is agreed it will be based on how long any individual case is likely to require. Fees will not normally include VAT, but that will be made clear to you both in advance and in the written agreement. There will be no hidden additional costs. Any additional costs will be set out in an agreement and included in advance. The most likely additional cost is reasonable travel expenses where a hearing or meeting is in a court that is more than 50 miles from our Chambers.