Wilberforce Chambers, established in 1965 in the heart of Hull’s Old Town, is a prominent Barristers’ set with a highly professional and dedicated team of practitioners. We cover a range of specialist areas including criminal, family and civil law, offering legal advice and advocacy in both publicly and privately funded work. We have a wealth of experience in appearing before the Magistrates’ Courts Family Proceedings Court, Crown and County Courts, the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and other tribunals. Centrally located, we are accessible and in close proximity to many law firms in the vicinity of Hull City Centre. In addition, we have strong links with the South Bank legal community
We are also instructed by clients outside of the Humberside Area.
We pride ourselves on the ability to deliver an excellent and consistent level of service and expertise individually tailored to meet all of your needs. We are committed to maintaining a high level of client care in each and every case.
We aim to make the process of instructing us simple, with a straight-forward, user-friendly approach designed to ensure that clients receive the standard of service they require. We understand the need to be flexible and to work together as a team to provide practical solutions. Our clerks will help our clients to find the barrister best suited to their needs.
Solicitors and other practising lawyers, as well as public access clients are invited to contact us for a quote for our barristers’ services.
Each Barrister in Chambers is:
We recognise how important it is for our professional and lay clients to understand the potential cost involved when instructing a barrister on matters that fall outside the public funding framework. Chambers provide a transparent fee structure that can be discussed by contacting any member of our clerking team that is led by Senior Clerk, Wayne Stevens.
The clerks will discuss any aspect of Chambers’ procedure and fee charging in an effort to accommodate individual requirements. We are always willing to discuss individual requirements in advance. The clerks are sensitive to market forces, and maintain an open and flexible approach to fee structures.
At the outset of accepting any instructions we will agree with the client the basis on which fees will be charged. This may be hourly rates, fixed fees, brief fees or the appropriate overall fee based on the level of experience of the Barrister and the complexity and value of the matter.
Members of Chambers do not accept instructions under a Conditional Fee Agreement.
We will aim to reach agreement with the client as soon as practicable after receipt of written instructions the timescale within which the barrister will undertake the relevant work, having regard to the amount of work required and complexity of the case. A number of factors will determine speed of turnaround, such as the chosen Barrister’s availability, present work-load and the weight and complexity of the work involved.
Members of Chambers are available to provide advice and assistance through formal written opinions, in conference/video-link, by e-mail, or by telephone. For the convenience of clients, members are happy to attend conferences at clients’ offices when appropriate.
Unless there is a pre-determined agreement in place it is Chambers policy to ask for fees to be paid within 30 days of receipt of the fee note. We would ask those instructing to inform the relevant clerk if this is not going to be possible.
Where services are provided under a public funding certificate or other statutory arrangement then the Standard Contractual Terms 2012 referred to below will not apply.
Chambers follows the Bar Council’s Graduated Fee Payment Protocol with regards fees payable to substitute advocates.
Should you have any queries or concerns regarding these new terms please contact our Senior Clerk, Wayne Stevens on 01482 488953 or wstevens@hullbar.co.uk
All of our Barristers are approachable and will be pleased to discuss your concerns and aim to resolve them; we would therefore encourage you to raise any concerns you have with your individual Barrister. If you would prefer to speak directly to our Senior Clerk, Wayne Stevens he would be pleased to deal with any such concerns.
We are confident that if you raise any concerns with your Barrister then the matter will be resolved to your satisfaction. In the event that this is not the case and you wish to make a formal complaint then please see our Complaints policy here.
Instructions are accepted on the Bar Council’s Standard Contractual Terms for the Supply of Legal Services by Barristers to Authorised Persons 2012 (Updated for the GDPR in 2018). A guide to the Standard Contractual Terms can be found here.
