About Dr. John Brown - Direct Access Barrister

FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT - I NO LONGER DO WORK FOR SOLICITORS UNDER LEGAL AID AND ALSO I DO NOT OFFER LEGAL AID SERVICES TO DIRECT ACCESS CLIENTS. 

IF YOU GET A WRITTEN QUOTE FROM A FIRM OF SOLICITORS WHO WILL ALSO INSTRUCT A BARRISTER DURING YOUR CASE - SEND ME THE QUOTE (WITHIN 30 DAYS) AND I WILL BEAT THAT QUOTE BY 20% - NOT INCLUDING DISBURSEMENTS, OR IF YOU GET A WRITTEN QUOTE FROM ANOTHER DIRECT ACCESS BARRISTER TO ATTEND A HEARING ONLY - SEND ME THE QUOTE (WITHIN 30 DAYS) AND I WILL BEAT THAT QUOTE BY 10% - NOT INCLUDING DISBURSEMENTS.

IF YOU ARE SEEKING TO INSRUCT ME UNDER DIRECT ACCESS WE WILL DIRECT YOU TO MY TERMS

Called to the Bar in 2000. Dr. John Brown was born and raised in the north east of Scotland and he joined the RAF at the age of 17. He went to university after leaving the RAF. John spent several years working for a law firm in Bangkok Thailand. John holds a PHD in Conflict Resolution and Arbitration from study in the USA. 

He can supply you with references on request.

E.G. Client Recommendation Feb 2023.
"On my child access case, I cannot thank John enough and will always appreciate the high quality work he has done. I contacted John initially as the previous solicitors representing me, were being bullied by the other side and were following the lead of my ex-partners solicitor. I felt like I was being bullied and explained to them that I felt I wasn’t being represented at a good standard. A 20 minute free phone call with John instilled so much confidence in me, that I immediately instructed him to act on my behalf. I can wholeheartedly say that was the best decision of my life. The judge dismissed 10+ false allegations and ruled in my favour. John has an uncanny ability to spot weaknesses in the other party’s statement and evidence, and he has very strong cross examination skills. I’ll put it this way. I’d hate to be on the receiving end of John’s tenacious cross examination. I would happily recommend John to anyone. MS " 

For Direct Access Clients - a change in the law in 2004 allowed barristers, who have undertaken additional training, to advise clients without the need for a solicitor also to be appointed.

I list below some of the reasons why it is advantageous to instruct me under direct access:

1. Under Direct Access it means that your "solicitor" and your "barrister" are combined so you don’t have to go from one solicitor’s office on the High Street to then travel to see a  barrister in chambers. 

2. You get the earliest possible direct access to a legal specialist – not just when a problem gets to Court. This could save you the headache, heartache and expense of avoidable litigation. You only pay one legal advisor rather than two. Barristers in general have lower overheads, so this will usually be more economical than retaining a solicitor and then also paying for a barrister - it will certainly cost you less than instructing both. 

3. The cost of a public access case will depend on a number of factors. They include whether you have already had a solicitors firm dealing with your case and I have to then sift through a file that you have obtained from your former solicitors to understand where your case is up to, what stage your case is at, the volume of documents, the tasks you need us to carry out (e.g., it will cost more if we assist on your whole case and are drafting particulars of claims, drafting witness statements, compiling evidence, drafting court forms, drafting skeleton arguments,  preparing court bundles and sifting evidence, (than it would if we are simply advising you on the next hearing). 

4. The cost will also depend on the length of the hearing, the location of the case, the complexity of the case, the time it takes to prepare, any novel points of law or additional research. 

5. We will always provide you with a clear pricing structure for handling your case and we will return your documents to you free of charge if you decide you don’t want to use our services having provided that pricing to you. If we do work for you, you will be asked to pay in advance. This means you will never be charged for work that you have not already agreed with.

6. If your case requires any additional work we will contact you in advance, we will explain why the additional work is necessary and take your clear instructions on whether you want us to carry out the work or not. Again, we will ask for payment in advance of carrying out additional work. You will never get an unexpected bill.

7. We can work on both a fixed fee or an hourly rate. We charge an hourly rate for work done in preparing a case and we charge set fees for phone calls and email communications.

8. We can agree a fixed fee for specific, identifiable work, this will be discussed with you in advance to reach a suitable agreement as to what is most appropriate in your circumstances. Our agreement will be stated in a written engagement letter.    

We prefer BACS Transfer but can take online payments by Credit or Debit Card. We will only accept business cheques.

9. I can represent you from start to finish on  a case dealing with every matter as you would expect from a Solicitors Firm. This would mean me coming on the court record, otherwise you will be a litigant in person and will have to prepare your own case, although I can agree to do some drafting as well as attend court on your case.

If you are a litigant in person work will be on fixed fees for e.g. drafting letters before action, drafting particulars of claims, drafting witness statements, drafting skeleton arguments for hearings, preparing court bundles and attending court. 

I strictly limit the number of cases I take on whereby I come on the court record as this is due to the amount of work that may be required on any individual case. 

Work I Undertake:
Commercial & Civil Litigation; and
Child Contact Cases; and
High Value Divorce Cases (over £250,000); and
Wills & Probate Disputes (over £200,000); and 

Employment Tribunals; and
Criminal Trials (Crown & Magistrates), including Drink & Drugs Driving Cases. 

I cover the whole of the North East of the UK, being Newcastle, Durham, Gateshead, North & South Shields, Darlington, Peterlee, Newton Aycliffe, Sunderland, Carlisle (and all of Cumbria), Middlesbrough (and all of Teesside). 

I will travel to the North West and will attend Courts in, York, Bradford, Leeds (and all of North Yorkshire). 

I will travel to Greater Manchester, Preston, Merseyside, Lancashire, North Wales. 

I will travel anywhere within England and Wales if my travel and accommodation is covered. I am often in Courts in East Anglia, Birmingham and London. 

I can attend courts in overseas territories and on forces bases (RAF, Army, Navy) world wide (for Courts Martial work). 

I can offer you professional legal services' whilst also saving at least 20% on your legal fees, if you were to go to a firm of solicitors.

I’m also available to provide any legal advice at your home or office if necessary.