Barristers are regulated by the Bar Standards Board (“the BSB”); and the BSB brought new transparency rules into force as of 1 July 2019, following the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA’s) recommendation in December 2016 that the legal regulators deliver a step change in transparency standards to help consumers understand the price and service they will receive, what redress is available and the regulatory status of their provider.
The mandatory rules state that we must:
- State that professional, licensed access and/or lay clients (as appropriate) may contact us in chambers to obtain a quotation for legal services
‣ You can contact my clerk to obtain a quote. - Provide contact details.
‣ You can contact my clerk here.
- State chambers’ most commonly used pricing models for legal services.
‣ When instructing Samuel Okoronkwo, this is usually a fixed fee or hourly rate, depending on the nature of your enquiry. Contact my clerk to find out more.
- State the areas of practice and provide a description of chambers most commonly provides legal services.
‣ You can find our practice areas and a description of exactly the services we provide on the home page,
- Provide information about the factors which might influence the timescales of chambers’ most commonly provided legal services.
‣ When I am instructed to provide advisory work, their clerk will usually agree a timescale at the same time the fee is agreed and will keep you informed if that changes for any reason, for example due to the client not providing timely and complete instructions; illness; or urgent court work on another matter;
‣ When I am instructed to provide services regarding litigation, timescales will usually depend on similar factors mentioned with regard to advisory work, plus response times of the court; the opponent; and any other third parties directly involved in the litigation, such as expert witnesses for example
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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;
‣ You can contact my clerk here for a copy of our Complaint’s Procedure.
‣ See the decision data on the LeO’s website; and
‣ View the Barristers’ Register page on the BSB Website.
Additional transparency rules for Public Access work
There are also additional transparency rules for those undertaking Public Access work, which most of our barristers do.
For more guidance as to what this means, you can also see the Public Access Guidance for Lay Clients on the BSB’s website.
Samuel Okoronkwo also provides the following services in the following practice areas:
• Employment Tribunal cases(advice and representation for employers and employees);
• Inheritance Act advice;
• Licensing applications in relation to business premises;
• Personal injury claims; and
• Winding-up petitions.
Given that we provide these services; you should be made aware that the same transparency notices as our usual services apply. Additionally:
• Almost all our fees include VAT. Contact my clerk to find out if this applies to your matter.
• Any additional costs will be identified to you for your agreement; and explained what they are for before they are incurred. Contact my clerk to find out more information.
