Barrister
Also called: Counsel, KC (King's Counsel), QC (historical)
A specialist advocate called to the Bar who is instructed by solicitors to provide written advice or represent parties in court.
Definition
A barrister is a lawyer called to the Bar of England and Wales and regulated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB). Barristers specialise in advocacy (arguing cases in court) and in providing written or oral opinions on complex legal questions. Traditionally, members of the public cannot instruct a barrister directly — they must go through a solicitor, who then "briefs" (instructs) counsel. However, the Public Access Scheme (formerly Direct Access) allows members of the public to instruct a barrister directly in most civil and family matters, without a solicitor as intermediary. Barristers are self-employed and work from shared offices called "chambers". Senior barristers — those appointed King's Counsel (KC, formerly Queen's Counsel or QC) — are leaders of the Bar, typically instructed in high-value or complex cases. A barrister's written legal opinion is called an "advice" or "counsel's opinion"; their written case document filed at court is called a "skeleton argument" or "written submissions".
In practice
If your solicitor recommends instructing a barrister (counsel), ask for an estimate of counsel's fees in advance — these are usually charged separately from the solicitor's fees and can be significant. For straightforward civil money claims or employment tribunals, many self-represented parties succeed without a barrister. If you want to instruct a barrister directly under the Public Access Scheme, search the <a href="https://www.barcouncil.org.uk/for-the-public/find-a-barrister.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bar Council's Find a Barrister directory</a>. For the solicitor route, see the <a href="/glossary/solicitor" class="body-link">solicitor glossary entry</a>.