Booking Terms and Conditions
Last updated: 20 September 2026
Please read these terms before requesting a consultation. They explain Barristerly’s role, the service available, how instructions are accepted, the applicable fee and your cancellation and rebooking rights.
1. Who we are
Barristerly is operated by Barristerly Ltd, a company registered in Scotland with company number SC902379.
Registered office:
4/22 London Street
Edinburgh
EH3 6NA
Email: info@barristerly.co.uk
In these terms:
“Barristerly”, “we” and “us” mean Barristerly Ltd;
“you” means the person or organisation requesting the service; and
“your barrister” means the independent barrister who accepts your instruction.
2. Barristerly’s role
Barristerly’s role is limited to advertising the service, taking your enquiry through our online booking form, and passing the information you provide to a barrister for their consideration. Barristerly does not decide whether an instruction is accepted.
Barristerly is not a firm of solicitors or a barristers’ chambers and does not itself provide legal advice.
Your legal services agreement is made directly with the barrister who accepts your instruction. The barrister is personally responsible for:
deciding whether the instruction can be accepted;
undertaking conflict and suitability checks;
providing legal advice;
complying with their professional and regulatory obligations;
issuing their client care letter and fee note;
receiving your payment; and
dealing with any complaint about their professional service.
These Booking Terms govern your use of Barristerly’s booking and administrative service. The barrister’s client care letter governs the legal service supplied by the barrister.
The barrister’s terms will be provided before you become bound to instruct them. Any term affecting the legal service, payment, cancellation or refund must be brought clearly to your attention before you agree to instruct the barrister.
Nothing in these terms excludes or restricts your statutory rights.
3. The One Hour Session
Barristerly offers one fixed-fee service: the One Hour Barrister Session.
The price is £396, including any applicable VAT.
This service is intended for one clearly defined legal question that can be considered without reviewing documents.
It ordinarily includes:
brief advance consideration of the factual information you provide;
one online consultation lasting up to 60 minutes; and
a short written note, provided by the end of the session, confirming the next steps discussed.
It does not include:
review of documents;
a detailed written opinion or written legal advice beyond the next-steps note;
drafting;
correspondence with another party;
conducting litigation;
representation at a court or tribunal; or
continuing responsibility for your matter.
You will be asked to provide a short factual account and identify the single question you want answered.
You must not upload or email documents for this service unless the barrister specifically requests them. If reliable advice requires document review or more extensive preparation, the barrister may decline the instruction.
4. Work not included
Unless expressly agreed otherwise, the service does not include:
representation at a court, tribunal or hearing;
conducting litigation or managing proceedings;
drafting pleadings, applications, contracts or detailed written opinions;
extensive legal or factual research;
correspondence or negotiation with another party;
obtaining witness or expert evidence;
additional consultations;
ongoing advice or case supervision; or
responsibility for complying with court orders or legal deadlines.
Any additional work must be separately agreed directly with the barrister. The barrister is free to accept or decline it. You are under no obligation to purchase further legal services.
5. Requesting and confirming an appointment
You must select:
the area of law that most closely matches your enquiry; and
an available appointment.
You must then provide the information requested in the booking form.
This will include the names of the proposed client, the other parties and any relevant organisations. This information is required so that the barrister can undertake a conflict check.
A calendar selection, provisional reservation or automated acknowledgement does not mean that the barrister has accepted your instruction.
Before accepting an instruction, the barrister must be satisfied that:
there is no conflict preventing them from acting;
the matter falls within their competence;
they have sufficient availability;
the matter is suitable for Public Access;
the selected service is appropriate; and
the work can be undertaken properly within the available time and agreed scope.
The barrister may ask you to clarify or narrow your question, reduce the documents supplied, or obtain assistance from a solicitor or another professional.
Your instruction becomes binding only when:
the barrister has expressly accepted it;
you have received and accepted the barrister’s client care terms in the manner specified; and
any required payment arrangements have been completed.
If the instruction cannot be accepted, you will be informed as soon as reasonably possible. Any payment already made for that instruction will be refunded in full.
6. Payment
Your barrister or their chambers will provide an invoice or fee note identifying:
the legal service provider;
the selected service;
the fee payable; and
any VAT included.
Payment is made directly to the barrister using the payment arrangements specified by them.
Barristerly does not receive or hold client money and does not operate a client account.
No additional legal work or charge will be incurred without your express agreement.
7. Information and documents
You must provide information that is accurate and complete to the best of your knowledge.
You should:
explain what has happened;
identify the question or questions you want answered;
explain what you want to achieve;
disclose relevant facts that may be adverse to your position;
comply with the applicable word and page limits; and
provide information and documents by the deadline notified to you.
The barrister is not required to consider information or documents exceeding the limits of the selected service.
If your information is incomplete, supplied late or more extensive than the selected service permits, the barrister may:
ask you to narrow the enquiry;
exclude documents from consideration;
propose a separate fee for additional work;
suggest rebooking; or
decline the instruction.
Any material change to the agreed service or fee requires your agreement.
8. Deadlines and urgent cases
You must identify any:
hearing date;
court or tribunal order;
limitation period;
appeal deadline;
response deadline; or
other urgent date.
Requesting or reserving an appointment does not stop a limitation period, extend a legal deadline or excuse compliance with an existing order.
Unless and until a barrister expressly accepts responsibility for a particular step in writing, you remain responsible for protecting your position, meeting deadlines and attending any hearing.
Barristerly cannot guarantee that an urgent instruction will be accepted or that a barrister will be available before a particular deadline.
9. Suitability and professional independence
Every participating barrister retains professional responsibility for deciding whether an instruction can be accepted and what advice should be given.
The barrister may conclude that:
the selected service is inappropriate;
further documents or investigation are required;
the matter requires a solicitor;
the matter requires expert evidence;
the available time is insufficient; or
the instruction should otherwise be declined.
Neither Barristerly nor the barrister guarantees any particular advice, outcome, settlement or result.
10. Contractual cancellation and refunds
This section applies to the One Hour Session.
It operates alongside, and does not restrict, the statutory consumer rights explained in section 11.
10.1 Cancellation before acceptance or payment
If you withdraw your request before the barrister has accepted the instruction or before payment is made, no fee will be payable.
10.2 Cancellation with at least 12 hours’ notice
Subject to section 11, you will receive a full refund if your notice of cancellation is received at least 12 hours before the scheduled start of the consultation.
For example, if the consultation is due to begin at 2.00 pm, notice must be received no later than 2.00 am on the same day.
10.3 Cancellation with less than 12 hours’ notice
If your notice is received less than 12 hours before the scheduled start of the consultation, no refund is available under Barristerly’s contractual cancellation policy.
The barrister may nevertheless offer a full or partial refund at their discretion. The barrister is not contractually obliged to do so.
10.4 Bookings made within 12 hours
If you make a booking for an appointment due to begin within the following 12 hours and subsequently cancel it, no refund is available under Barristerly’s contractual cancellation policy.
The barrister may offer a full or partial refund at their discretion.
This provision remains subject to any statutory cancellation or refund right that applies under section 11.
10.5 Failure to attend
If you fail to attend the consultation or join too late for it to be delivered meaningfully, no contractual refund will be due.
The barrister may agree to reschedule the consultation or provide a full or partial refund at their discretion.
10.6 How to cancel
To cancel, send a clear written notice to:
Email: info@barristerly.co.uk
You may also notify the barrister using the contact details provided in the booking confirmation or client care letter.
Notice takes effect when it is received at either designated email address. You do not need to give a reason.
10.7 Payment of refunds
Any refund due will be made without undue delay and, where legally required, within 14 days after notice of cancellation is received.
The refund will ordinarily be made using the original payment method unless you agree otherwise. No fee will be charged for processing it.
11. Consumer cooling-off rights
If you book wholly or mainly for purposes outside your trade, business, craft or profession, you are likely to be a consumer.
A consumer entering into a distance service contract will normally have a statutory right to cancel the contract without giving a reason during the applicable cancellation period. That period will ordinarily end 14 days after the day on which the contract is made.
The 12-hour contractual cancellation policy in section 10 does not remove or restrict any statutory cancellation right.
11.1 Services beginning during the cooling-off period
If you want the barrister to begin preparation or provide the consultation before the statutory cancellation period has expired, you will be asked expressly to request that the service begins during that period.
Merely requesting an appointment does not, by itself, remove your statutory cancellation rights.
If you expressly request an early start and subsequently exercise a statutory right to cancel after work has begun, you may be required to pay a proportionate amount for the service supplied before cancellation.
Any amount retained must be permitted by law and must reflect the service actually supplied.
11.2 Completion of the service
You will lose the statutory right to cancel after the service has been fully performed during the cooling-off period only where:
you expressly requested that performance should begin during that period; and
you acknowledged that you would lose the right to cancel once the service had been fully performed.
11.3 Suggested early-performance acknowledgement
Where applicable, you may be asked to confirm:
I expressly request that the barrister begins providing the agreed service before the end of the 14-day cancellation period. I understand that, if I cancel after work has begun, I may be required to pay for the service supplied before cancellation. I also understand that I will lose my statutory right to cancel once the service has been fully performed.
Nothing in these terms requires you to surrender a statutory right that cannot lawfully be excluded.
12. Rebooking and changing an appointment
This section applies to the One Hour Barrister Session.
12.1 Rebooking with at least 12 hours’ notice
You may rebook your consultation once without an additional charge if your request is received at least 12 hours before the scheduled start of the consultation.
The replacement appointment:
is subject to the barrister’s availability;
must be agreed with the barrister; and
must ordinarily involve the same client, service and legal enquiry.
If no mutually suitable alternative appointment can be agreed, you may cancel. Your entitlement to a refund will be determined under sections 10 and 11.
12.2 Rebooking with less than 12 hours’ notice
If your request is received less than 12 hours before the scheduled consultation, any rebooking is at the barrister’s discretion.
The barrister may:
agree to a replacement appointment without additional charge;
require payment of a further fee;
treat the original appointment as cancelled; or
decline to offer another appointment.
12.3 Bookings made within 12 hours
If the original booking was made for an appointment beginning within 12 hours, any request to rebook is at the barrister’s discretion.
12.4 Further changes
After one appointment has been rebooked without charge, any further request to change it is at the barrister’s discretion.
12.5 Notice
A rebooking request takes effect when it is received by Barristerly or the barrister at the appropriate email address.
The 12-hour period is calculated by reference to the scheduled start of the consultation that you are asking to change.
13. Missed appointments and technical problems
You must:
join the consultation promptly;
use the link or platform specified;
have a suitable internet connection and functioning equipment; and
participate from a reasonably private location.
If you are delayed or experience a technical problem, contact the barrister promptly.
A missed appointment does not amount to notice of cancellation or a request to rebook.
If a technical failure attributable to the barrister or the selected platform prevents the consultation from being meaningfully delivered, the barrister will offer a replacement appointment without additional charge. If the agreed service cannot be supplied, an appropriate refund will be made.
If the failure arises from your equipment, internet connection or failure to join, any replacement appointment or refund is at the barrister’s discretion, subject to your statutory rights.
14. Cancellation or withdrawal by the barrister
If the barrister cannot proceed because of illness, an unforeseen professional commitment, a conflict of interest or another professional obligation, you will be informed as soon as reasonably possible.
If the service has not begun, you may:
accept a suitable replacement appointment;
agree to be considered by another suitable barrister; or
receive a full refund.
A different barrister will not be substituted without your agreement.
If professional obligations require the barrister to withdraw after work has begun, the barrister will:
explain the position so far as they properly can;
identify any urgent steps reasonably apparent;
account fairly for the fee paid; and
refund payment for work that will not be supplied.
Your rights concerning the standard of any work already supplied remain unaffected.
15. Confidentiality and personal information
Barristerly will handle personal information in accordance with its Legal, Regulatory and Privacy Information page.
The barrister will also provide information about how they process your personal data.
You should use only the document-sharing method specified by Barristerly or the barrister.
You must not record the consultation or introduce an automated recording, transcription or artificial-intelligence service without the barrister’s prior agreement.
Tell the barrister in advance if another person will attend. The barrister may need to consider authority, confidentiality and legal professional privilege before proceeding.
16. Complaints
Barristerly is responsible for exercising reasonable care and skill in the booking and administrative services it provides.
For a complaint about Barristerly’s booking or administrative service, contact:
Email: info@barristerly.co.uk
The barrister is responsible for the legal and professional service they provide. A complaint about the barrister’s advice, conduct or service must first be made under the complaints procedure contained in their client care letter.
An eligible complaint may subsequently be referred to the Legal Ombudsman, subject to its applicable rules and time limits.
An unfavourable opinion or outcome does not, by itself, establish that the service was defective.
Nothing in these terms prevents you from challenging the standard of a service or seeking any remedy available to you.
17. Responsibility and statutory rights
Barristerly remains responsible for its own acts, omissions and representations in providing its booking and administrative service.
The barrister remains responsible for the legal service they provide.
Neither Barristerly nor the barrister excludes or restricts liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for fraud or for death or personal injury caused by negligence.
Nothing in these terms restricts any applicable consumer right, including the right to have services performed with reasonable care and skill and any remedy available where contractual requirements are not met.
18. Applicable law
These Booking Terms are governed by the law of England and Wales.
If you are a consumer, this does not deprive you of any mandatory legal protections or any right to bring proceedings in a court available to you under applicable law, including where you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
19. Changes to these terms
We may amend these terms for future bookings.
The version provided or made available when you make your booking will apply to that booking unless:
you expressly agree to a change; or
a change is required by law.
Optional cancellation form
You may use this form, although any clear written statement that you wish to cancel will be sufficient.
To: Barristerly Ltd
4/22 London Street
Edinburgh
EH3 6NA
Email: info@barristerly.co.uk
I give notice that I cancel my booking for the following service:
Service selected:
Booking reference:
Barrister’s name:
Consultation date and time:
Client’s name:
Client’s address:
Date:
Signature: [required only if submitted on paper]