I can assist you with any Boundary, Right to Light, Planning, Party-Wall and Property Disputes that you might encounter. Let us handle your problem, whether it’s an issue over a boundary or where sunlight has been blocked to your home or business, an appeal against a Local Planning Authority (‘LPA’) decision, a Party Wall Award Appeal or in seeking an Injunction/Order from the Courts in order to protect your home, contact us as there may be urgent time limits involved.

We deal with cases on a direct access basis and will work with clients through the Bar Council’s ‘Public Access’ scheme, which avoids the expense of instructing solicitors in addition to a barrister; which by itself reduces any expense of fees and costs. Where suitable (in exceptional cases) clients may be referred to the services of a solicitor where the case is unsuitable for Public Access.

Let us consider whether you may also need the services of other qualified professionals in order to assist with your problem, such as land surveyors, planning advisers, party-wall surveyors, mediators or structural engineers, we can recommend suitable professionals in this regard. Sometimes a problem may already be half-solved by you, as our client, having obtained relevant evidence yourself. If so we can still assist and guide you to a resolution. Whether you seek a legal remedy, or if you are on the receiving end of a claim or injunction, we can assist you.

Contact us at your earliest opportunity so that we can resolve any dispute before it develops disproportionately and for free advice on how to proceed whether you are a building owner, adjoining owner or surveyor.

Boundary Barristers is run as a sole practice by Shaw Kelly – a Barrister of 25 years experience who has appeared at all levels of our Courts- from Tribunals to the County Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. As a result of services provided to the Party Wall Surveyors profession, Shaw was granted Honorary Membership of the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors (‘FPWS‘) in 2017.

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Before Shaw can decide whether or not to assist you, we would need you to supply further information and details. Please email shaw@boundarybarristers.co.uk. Please mark your correspondence “Public Access Instruction”. You should expect a response within 60 minutes in order to assist you.

The information you provide may be sufficient for a barrister to agree to take on your case and for an initial estimate of the fees likely to be incurred. We offer a free 15 minute telephone discussion to talk about your requirements before you commit. This will normally be arranged within 48 hours.

Barristers fees range usually depending on the seniority of counsel and the complexity of the case A fixed fee may also be agreed subject to sight of all papers and instructions being provided. Instructing more experienced counsel may result in a quicker and more effective result for your case. For example, Shaw’s fee for a standard first letter to your neighbour or party that you have an issue with is only £175 plus vat – this may result in the dispute resolving itself at an early stage and in this regard is a cost effective remedy rather than time and money spent involved in a dispute.

Once you are ready to instruct a client care letter will then be issued, setting out the scope of work, the fees payable and any other conditions subject to which the work will be carried out. In some cases, it may be necessary to hold a preliminary meeting with you before accepting the work and before a client care letter can be prepared.

The cost of instructing a barrister will depend on:–

• the complexity of your case
• the amount of work involved
• the time estimate for any hearing
• the urgency of the work
• the type of hearing
• the amount of papers
• the seniority of counsel
• the distance / travel time to any hearing

The quotation provided will either be for a fixed fee or on an hourly rate or fixed fee if no fixed fee is agreed, subject to what is most cost-effective and appropriate for the case. A reasonable quotation will be provided, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, including estimating preparation time and hearing time required for your case. There may be additional costs for travel or copying of original documents. The current rate of VAT will be added to all fees (unless exemptions apply).

Please note the provision of a quotation is not an acceptance of instructions. An acceptance of instructions is fixed upon the signing of a public access agreement and receipt of the fee for the work. Where it is provided for as a fixed price,we will not exceed the amount we have quoted without your prior authority. Fixed fees are in the client’s interest and these are offered, where fees are charged at an hourly rate they may vary and are generally between £350 p/h and for commercial work £400 p/h.

You can read the Bar Standards Board Public Access Guidance here.

If you would like more information about the benefits to small and medium enterprises of the Public Access scheme, you can read an article written by Alistair MacDonald QC, former Chair of the Bar Council, here.