The aim of these pages is to make clear to our clients, both professional and lay clients, the range of services provided by members of 30 Park Place.
About us
The barristers at 30 Park Place have vast experience in a wide range of legal issues. Divided into four specialist teams the Members are able to provide advice and representation in matters across Wales and beyond.
Family Team
Civil Team
Criminal Team
Public Law Team
Members of the team advise claimants, national and local government and other public bodies on public and devolved law matters. Members of the team have appeared and are instructed in the Supreme Court and the European Court of Justice. Chambers covers all areas of public law, including: human rights, immigration, social care, local government, education, planning, mental health, housing, commercial, public inquiries and inquests.
Contact Us
The following are invited to contact the clerks on 02920 398421 for a quote for our barristers’ services (or email clerks@30parkplace.co.uk)
We will provide you with all the relevant information you need, including a fee quote as soon as possible. We always aim to set out quotes clearly, but if you receive your quote and there is something you do not understand, please contact us either by telephone or by email.
Fees
Fee arrangements can vary greatly depending on the area of practice. Cases will usually be privately funded, publicly funded (Legal Aid) or funded by way of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), commonly known as a no win, no fee. Public funds are not available to fund all cases and we would recommend that you discuss this with your Solicitor. Information can also be obtained on the GOV.UK website www.gov.uk/check-legal-aid.
A private fee for an advice will be based on the necessary or predicted reading, research preparation and drafting time. A private fee for a conference, hearing or mediation will be based on the necessary or predicted reading, preparation time as well as time engaged in conferences, negotiations, waiting, advocacy and reporting back.
For cases that are privately funded, fees will either be calculated on an hourly rate basis or by way of a fixed fee. The fixed fee would be determined in advance of work being undertaken and would be a reflection of the amount of practice time the barrister was expecting to spend on your case or on a specific element of your case. When discussing fees for a hearing the figures will usually be agreed on a brief fee and refresher basis. The brief fee will usually be the cost of the first day of the hearing and all pre-hearing preparation and the refreshers will be a daily rate applied to each following day of the hearing.
Members of 30 Park Place accept instructions from claimants under conditional fee agreements (CFA) in certain circumstances. Whether a case is suitable for a CFA will depend on a number of factors such as prospects of success and the likelihood of recovering costs from the defendant. For more information regarding CFA’s please contact the clerks on clerks@30parkplace.co.uk.
Family
Family work is either funded by legal aid or privately depending on your circumstances or the circumstances of your case. Information regarding legal aid for family work can be found on the GOV.UK website (www.gov.uk/check-legal-aid) and you will need to speak to your Solicitor regarding which areas of family law are legally aided and your eligibility for that funding.
Family & Childcare work on behalf of parents and individuals will either be legally aided or privately funded. The legally aided cases are usually undertaken on a fixed fee basis calculated using the Family Advocacy Scheme (FAS). There are exceptions to this when cases fall outside of FAS and either hourly rates or fixed day rates will apply. When a matter is privately funded the amount charged will be agreed in advance and will either be on a fixed fee or an hourly rate basis.
Childcare work undertaken on behalf of Local Authorities will be treated as privately funded and the amount charged will be agreed in advance and will either be on a fixed fee or hourly rate basis.
All other family work such as Matrimonial Finance is undertaken on a private paying basis with the amount charged either being on a fixed fee or an hourly rate basis. Legal Aid is only available in very limited circumstances for Matrimonial Finance.
Civil
Civil work will usually be undertaken on a private paying basis and for most cases the amount charged will either be on a fixed fee or an hourly rate basis. For some areas of civil cases the members are prepared to enter into an agreement where paying is conditional on the outcome of the case. This type of agreement is called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) commonly referred to as no win, no fee agreements. This type of agreement is regularly adopted in Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence cases and the terms of the agreement will need to be set out and agreed by each party in advance.
Fees for Civil cases can be greatly affected by the Civil Procedure Rules which in certain circumstances limit the level of fees that are recoverable from the other side and we would recommend that you discuss this with your solicitor.
Crime
Criminal defence work is undertaken on a legally aided or private paying basis (legal aid is means tested for many offences and you will need to contact your Solicitor to check eligibility). When a client is paying privately the amount charged will be agreed in advance and will either be on a fixed fee or an hourly rate basis.
Criminal prosecution work undertaken on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is publicly funded and charged at a fixed rate. Prosecution work undertaken for anyone other than the CPS will be privately funded and the amount charged will again be agreed in advance and on either a fixed fee or hourly rate basis.
Regulatory work is usually undertaken on a private paying basis and for most types of case the amount charged will either be on a fixed fee or an hourly rate basis.
Public Law
Public law matters are usually funded privately although other funding sources such as legal aid may be available and we would recommend that you discuss alternative funding options with your Solicitor.
Timescales
Timescales for a case may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the type and complexity of the case, the other side’s approach and Court waiting times.
Public Access
If you are a member of the public, the Bar Standards Board’s Public Access Guidance for Lay Clients is available via this link: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/regulatory-requirements/bsb-handbook/public-access-guidance-for-lay-clients. This will help you to understand how the Public Access scheme works, and explains how you can use it to instruct barristers directly.
Regulatory and Complaints Information
Barristers in chambers are regulated by the Bar Standards Board. You can search the Barristers’ Register on the Bar Standards Board’s website: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/regulatory-requirements/the-barristers’-register. This shows (1) whether a barrister has a current practising certificate, and (2) whether a barrister has any disciplinary findings, which are published on the Bar Standards Board’s website in accordance with their policy. Alternatively, you can contact the Bar Standards Board on 0207 611 1444 to ask about this (or email ContactUs@BarStandardsBoard.org.uk).
Details of the 30 Park Place Complaints Process can be found here: 30 Park Place Complaints Information.
As detailed within our procedure, you may have the right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman. Clients can complain to the Legal Ombudsman if they are unhappy with the final response to their complaint, or if their complaint has not been dealt with in eight weeks; and clients who have a right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman are individuals and, broadly speaking, small businesses and charities.
The full list of who has the right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman is available on their website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk/?faqs=who-can-use-our-service.
You can write to the Legal Ombudsman at:
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WJ
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Email address: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
You must complain to the Legal Ombudsman either within 6 years of your barrister’s action/failure to act, or no later than 3 years after you should reasonably have known there were grounds to complain.
You must also complain to the Legal Ombudsman with 6 months of receiving your barrister’s final response to your complaint.
More information about the Legal Ombudsman is available on their website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
You can also search the decision data on the Legal Ombudsman’s website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk/raising-standards/data-and-decisions. This shows providers which received an ombudsman’s decision in the previous calendar year, and whether the Legal Ombudsman required the provider to give the consumer a remedy. Alternatively, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 to ask about this (or email enquires@legalombudsman.org.uk).
Price Transparency for Direct Access matters
Members of 30 Park Place are able to accept instructions from clients on a Direct Access basis in many areas of law including Family, Employment, Chancery & Commercial, Sports law, Inquests, Regulatory and some motoring offences.
A number of these areas of practice have been deemed by the Bar Standards Board to require additional price transparency. These areas of law being family finance matters (in cases where joint assets are less than £300,000), employment claims (in relation to actions for ordinary unfair dismissal and/or wrongful dismissal), Inheritance Act claims (where the deceased person’s estate is worth less than £300,000) and ‘Summary Only’ motoring offences.
For information on all other direct access matters please email the clerks at clerks@30parkplace.co.uk who will put you in contact with a suitable member of the relevant team. In order to assist with identifying which member is best placed to assist you we would ask that you include in that email any relevant deadlines that you are aware of, dates and location of any future court hearings and a brief summary of the issues.
Additional price transparency information for direct access family finance, employment, Inheritance Act claims and ‘summary only’ motoring offences can be found below-
Family Finance (cases where joint assets add up to less than £300,000)
Our barristers can advise and represent you in court throughout your family proceedings. We provide advice if you and your former partner cannot agree on financial matters during or after a divorce. If you cannot agree, you can apply to a court for a financial Order. You may also need to attend a number of court hearings and our Barristers are happy to be instructed to attend these hearings on your behalf.
Timescales
Timescales for our services may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the value and complexity of the assets involved, volume and availability of documents, whether children are involved and the approach of the other side to the proceedings.
As a guide, written advice in your case will be available with 2-4 weeks where possible. For court hearings, we would ideally need 2 weeks’ notice of the date of the hearing, however, we appreciate you may also need representation at short notice. If that is the case, please contact the clerks and our barristers will aim to assist with representation where possible.
Court Hearings for a financial order tend to take 6-12 months. This does not include possible appeals.
Fees
We charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work. These fees will be payable before written work is provided or a hearing/conference commences. Below we have provided estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers at 30 Park Place Chambers. VAT will be charged on top of these fees (where applicable).
The level of fees charged may vary depending on your needs, for example your fees may be towards the higher end of the fee bracket if you need a more experienced barrister and/or you have assets in excess of £300,000. If you have a particularly complex case or it has an unusually large volume of paperwork, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below. Travel costs will be in addition to the fees below and will depend on the location of the court or conference venue.
Stage of case | Ranges of fixed fees (estimates)
Written advice on your financial dispute | £750-£1500
Preparation of case, including meetings with you and assistance with drafting of any court documents | £750 - £1500
First appointment (first court hearing exchanging financial information) | £1000 - £1750
Financial dispute resolution appointment (second court hearing to reach a financial settlement) | £1250 - £3000
First day of final hearing (if no settlement was reached in the financial dispute resolution appointment) | £1750 - £5000
Court appearances per day, after the first day of the final hearing | £1000 - £2000
All information is correct as of January 2020, but fees are estimates only. For a quotation, please contact the clerks on 02920 398421 or email clerks@30parkplace.co.uk. Please also contact the clerks if you and your former partner have joint assets which are worth more than £300,000.
Employment Claims (for unfair and wrongful dismissal)
Our barristers can advise both employees and employers on ordinary unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal claims. Our barristers can also represent both employees and employers at the Employment Tribunal.
Timescales
Timescales for your case may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the complexity of your case, the need for additional documents and the other side’s approach. However, as a guide more straightforward cases tend to have a hearing date four to six months of a claim being made.
Fees
We may charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work. Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers in Orchard Chambers. All fees include VAT (where applicable).
If we charge fixed fees, these may vary depending on your needs – for example, your fees may be towards the higher end of the range if you need a more experienced barrister and/or you have a more complex case. If you have a particularly complex case, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below. There are also likely to be additional travel costs depending on the location of the Tribunal or conference venue.
Stage of case | Ranges of fixed fees (estimates)
Written advice on your claim | £500 - £1500
Preparation of case, including meetings with you and assistance with drafting of any tribunal documents | £750 - £1500
Preliminary hearing | £1000 - £2000
First day’s tribunal appearance | £1500 - £4500
Tribunal appearances per day, after the first day | £850 - £1750
Remedy hearing (to decide compensation) | £1000 - £2000
All information is correct as of January 2020, but fees are estimates only. For a quotation, please contact the clerks on 02920 398421 or email clerks@30parkplace.co.uk.
Inheritance Act Claims (where deceased person’s estate is worth less than £300,000)
The Inheritance Act 1975 protects spouses (including former spouses), cohabitants, children and other dependants when a person dies without leaving sufficient money for the dependent’s continued wellbeing. Our barristers can provide you with written advice on whether you can make a claim under the Act. Our barristers can also provide you with written advice when a person dies and you are a beneficiary of the estate, but someone else makes a claim under the Act.
Timescales
Timescales for your written advice may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the value and complexity of the deceased person’s estate, your financial needs and those of any beneficiary of the estate. However, claims under the Act must be made within six months of the grant of probate, so as a guide your written advice will be available within two to four weeks where possible.
Fees
We may charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the written advice. Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers at 30 Park Place, where the deceased person’s estate is worth less than £300,000. All fees include VAT (where applicable).
If we charge fixed fees, these may be towards the higher end of the range if you need a more experienced barrister and/or the deceased person’s estate is more complex. If the deceased person’s estate is particularly complex, your fees may also be higher than the estimate below. There are also likely to be additional costs for both time engaged and travel if the advice is required in conference.
Stage of case | Ranges of fixed fees (estimates)
Written advice on making or defending a claim | £1500 - £2500
All information is correct as of January 2020, but fees are estimates only. For a quotation, please contact the clerks on 02920 398421 or email clerks@30parkplace.co.uk. Please also contact the clerks if the deceased person’s estate is worth more than £300,000.
'Summary Only' Motoring Offences
Our barristers can advise and represent you in court if you are charged with a ‘summary only’ motoring offence. This is a motoring offence which can only be heard in the Magistrates’ Court; for example, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, careless driving, failing to stop or report, and speeding.
Timescales
Timescales for our services may vary depending on factors such as barristers’ availability, the complexity of your case and the need for additional documents. As a guide, written advice on your case will be available within two to four weeks where possible. You may also need representation at short notice. If so, please contact the clerks and our barristers will aim to represent you at the hearing where possible.
Fees
We may charge fixed fees, which means that we will charge you a set amount of money for the work. Below we provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees for barristers at 30 Park Place. All fees include VAT (where applicable).
If we charge fixed fees, these may vary depending on your needs – for example, your fees may be towards the higher end of the range if you need a more experienced barrister and/or you have a complex case. If you have a particularly complex case, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below. There are also likely to be additional travel costs depending on the location of the Court or conference venue.
Stage of case | Ranges of fixed fees (estimates)
Written advice on your case | £500 - £750
Preparation of case, including meetings with you and assistance with drafting of court documents | £500 - £1250
Guilty pleas | £750 - £1500
First appearance (pre-trial court appearance) | £500 - £1000
First day of trial | £1000 - £2500
Court appearances per day, after the first day of trial | £650 - £1250
All information is correct as of January 2020, but fees are estimates only. For a quotation, please contact the clerks on 02920 398421 or email clerks@30parkplace.co.uk.
A PDF version of this information can be found here.
Fees & Transparency Privacy Notice Sitemap Cookies Policy Disclaimer
30 Park Place Cardiff CF10 3BS Telephone: (02920) 398421
