Is a barrister needed to represent me?

Your solicitor may be able to represent you depending on the type of hearing and the court. However, your solicitor may advise that you use a barrister for their experience in advocacy, especially in high-value or complex cases.

You can use a barrister in two ways: to represent you in court; or to provide you with specialist legal advice in the early stages, which is especially useful in high-value and complex cases where identifying the particular strengths and weaknesses of the case may enable the negotiation of an early settlement.

If you or your solicitor believe it will be useful to get a barrister’s opinion, your solicitor can find a relevant expert and brief them on the claims. You cannot usually brief a barrister yourself; a solicitor must do this on your behalf.