By a Licensed Access Client

Licensed Access

Professional organisations or individuals can instruct barristers, either on behalf of clients or on their own account, if they are deemed or adjudged suitable to do so because of their professional expertise.

Most qualified accountants, actuaries, insolvency practitioners, town and country planners, surveyors and engineers are automatically deemed suitable.  Other professionals can apply to the Bar Standards Board (the independent regulator of the Bar) to be licensed to instruct barristers directly in their areas of expertise, either generally or for particular work.

The licence can cover advice or representation, or both, in some kinds of proceedings, though representation in the county courts and High Court and above are excluded.

The Chancery Bar has particular experience and expertise of working under the licensed access rules and strongly supports licensed access.

General information about licensed access, together with Guidance on how to instruct a barrister under that system and the full list of licensees, is available from the Bar Standards Board website.