Our expertise

We have an experienced inquest team offering representation and advice at all stages of the inquest process. We are experienced in representing Local Authorities and social care teams at inquests with our experts drawing on their skills in handling sensitive, emotional issues together with our high standard of client care.

There is a large cross over between the issues involved in complex family cases and those that arise in inquests. The perusal and legal analysis of lengthy medical reports and the cross examination of multiple experts are common themes at which we excel.

Our highly responsive team work closely with instructing solicitors and clients and provide advice on everything from disclosure and early contact with the coroner, through to representation at pre-inquest review hearings and at inquests both with and without juries. We understand that witnesses who are called to give evidence often have limited experience of the coroner’s court and we can provide insight, support, and guidance on the process. 

We have a team of specialists who can offer advice, assistance, and representation in forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) proceedings.

Our team specialises in obtaining protection orders in Forced Marriage and FGM cases, and in responding to applications for such orders. We often deal with cases where care proceedings follow on from such applications or where the inherent jurisdiction of the court is invoked. We also deal with cases where a party may lack capacity to consent to a marriage. Such cases can be dealt with by both our Forced Marriage team and our Court of Protection team if the case is a Court of Protection case.

Our highly responsive team are available at short notice for urgent applications and work closely with instructing solicitors and clients to provide the highest level of service throughout proceedings and can provide advice in conference or writing prior to proceedings being issued.

Traditionally members of the public could only access the services of a barrister by going through a solicitor, now you can now go direct to a barrister.

The main advantage of the direct access is that it could potentially save you money since you would be only be paying for a barrister instead of a barrister and solicitor.

You would have to do some of the work yourself such as sending letters and e-mails to the other parties in the case and the court. Not all cases are suitable for direct access and you may find the barrister you contact refers you to a solicitor.

Each case is unique once you have contacted us with brief details of your case we will be able to advise you if your case is suitable.

Instructing us

Upon enquiring as to the availability of our direct access barristers we will send you a questionnaire to complete. This will then be reviewed by the barrister you wish to instruct within 7 days and they will then confirm whether your case is suitable for direct access, or will request further information to help them make their decision. If you case is not suitable, we will explain the reason why, if it is suitable we will provide fixed fee quote and agree a plan of work with you. This will include making payment of the fee in advance and agreeing to our terms and conditions which we will send to you to review before you make payment.

Fees

The fees below are an indication of what our fees may be for a typical case for our members of Chambers who accept direct access instructions.

The fees should be used as a guide, and we would invite you to contact the clerks for a tailored fee quote for your case. Fees will vary based on the experience of the barrister instructed, the complexities of the case, the volume of papers, the time it will take to prepare and the location of the hearing.

All fees quoted are exclusive of VAT.

The fees charged are fixed fees agreed on a case by case basis as agreed by our clerks and will be confirmed in writing. We require payment in advance of work being carried out, at least 7 days in advance unless otherwise agreed in writing.

We are able to advise and represent you in Financial Remedies, Private Law Children, Domestic Violence and Injunctions cases. More information on our expertise in these areas can be found on our website: https://www.stmarysfamily.co.uk/our-expertise.

Financial Remedies

Below are indicative fees for financial remedies cases where the joint assets are valued at £300,000 or less. For cases which exceed this value we will require further information before providing an indicative quote.

Private Law Children, Domestic Violence & Injunctions

Additional costs

Typically if a hearing over runs into an additional day(s) then we will provide you with a quote for the additional work within 3 working days when possible.

Other additional costs can include:

• Accommodation

• Photocopying
• Venue fees (if dealing with Alternate Dispute Resolution)

Anything in addition to the above will be advised on a case-by-case basis.

Further information

Full information on the scheme can be found on the Bar Standards Board website: 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