Contractual terms and the acceptance of instructions.

Where a commercial firm of solicitors wishes to operate on the basis of City of London Law Society and Commercial Bar Association Contractual Terms (“COMBAR terms”) (whether A, B, C, or D) then this may be negotiated on an individual basis with the individual member of Tennyson prior to first instruction on a particular case.

COMBAR terms are governed solely and exclusively by the law of England and Wales and subject to the sole exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales – see clause 21 of the COMBAT/CLLS terms. Here is link to the page containing a download link to a guide to those terms.

If you are a member of the public wishing to instruct a barrister directly without using a solicitor to do so then please refer to the specialist pages on this site which deal with public access instructions to a barrister.

Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002 SI 2002/2013 (as amended) and Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 SI 2000/2334 (as amended).

To comply with the above regulations the following information/statement is provided:

1. The services provided by Counsel of the Chambers of Susan Brown (“Tennyson Chambers”)  comprise legal advice whether orally or in writing, legal drafting and advocacy at court.
2. Fees for Counsel at Tennyson may be paid by solicitors directly to counsel in accordance with any fee note they receive from Counsel by cheque, chaps, bankers draft, BACs, and faster online payment through their bank.
3. Fees for Counsel payable by public access clients may be paid by the public access client to Counsel at Tennyson in accordance with any fee note for Counsel’s fees they receive from their Counsel at Tennyson Chambers using a banker’s draft, BACS, faster online payment, chaps, or such other method which the public access client has agreed in their client care letter with their Counsel from these chambers.
4. The price of the services for reasons of client confidentiality are notified (prior to counsel being engaged to provide any service by a public access client) directly –
   • to a public access client by their Counsel where public access is being used or
   • by Counsel to solicitors acting on behalf of their lay client under the Standard Conditions of Contract for the Supply of Legal Services by Barristers to Authorised Persons 2012 (as updated for GDPR in 2018) as published by the General Council of the Bar of the UK (“Bar Council”) (unless otherwise agreed in writing).
   • or directly to the direct access professional as applicable.

5. Public access clients should find the price of the legal services, which they may have informed their chosen counsel from Tennyson Chambers they wish to engage, in their client care letter/contract for legal services with their chosen Counsel. Where Tennyson Chambers Counsel is being instructed by a solicitor or other authorised person the price of the services to be provided will be notified to the instructing solicitors or authorised person in accordance with the Standard Conditions of Contract for the Supply of Legal Services by Barristers to Authorised Persons 2012 (as updated for GDPR in 2018) as published by the General Council of the Bar of England and Wales (“Bar Council”) before work is commenced on the case upon which Counsel from Tennyson Chambers is to be instructed.
6. The arrangements for payment of Counsel’s fees by public access clients should be set out in their client care letter/ contract for legal services (see above). It is suggested that a public access client should read their client care letter from their chosen Counsel at Tennyson Chambers carefully before signing the same as it constitutes a contract for legal services with the barrister they have chosen to act for them.
7. The arrangements for the delivery or the terms of the performance of the legal services to be provided by counsel in these chambers either under the public access scheme or in agreement with solicitors or other authorised person on behalf of their clients will be set out in the case of a public access client in their client care letter/contract for legal services from their Counsel at Tennyson Chambers or in the case of a solicitor or other authorised person in accordance with the Standard Conditions of Contract for the Supply of Legal Services by Barristers to Authorised Persons 2012 (as updated for GDPR in 2018) as published by the General Council of the Bar of England and Wales (“Bar Council”) unless otherwise agreed in writing.
8. In respect of the technical steps needed to follow to conclude a contract for legal services with a registered barrister from Tennyson Chambers –

For public access clients

Please see the public access area on this site for further information, but a public access client may need to provide –

• identification and verification evidence of their identity to their chosen Counsel from Tennyson Chambers before concluding any contract for legal services;
• sign a client care letter (which is a contract for legal services) from your chosen Counsel at Tennyson Chambers;
• return that signed client care letter to your Counsel.

to conclude a contract for legal services with a registered barrister at Tennyson Chambers.

For Instructing Solicitors

• Please see the Standard Conditions of Contract for the Supply of Legal Services by Barristers to Authorised Persons 2012 (as updated in 2018 for GDPR) as published by the General Council of the Bar of the UK (“Bar Council”) and contact Counsel.

9. The contract for legal services will be permanently accessible to the public access client or instructing solicitor or direct access professional if they permanently retain a written copy of the same themselves.
10. The language offered for the conclusion of any contract for legal services with any Bar Standards Board registered barrister member of Tennyson Chambers is English (UK).
11. As stated elsewhere on this web site the relevant Code of Conduct of all registered barrister members of the Chambers of Susan Brown is that of the Bar Standards Board of England and Wales as set out in their Bar Handbook. Visitors to this site will find links to the Bar Handbook on the client care and provision of service of service regulation page and other pages on this site.
12. For the minimum duration of the contract for any legal service provided by a registered barrister of Tennyson Chambers a public access client is referred to their client care letter with their Counsel. In the case of a client using a solicitor as determined by the Standard Conditions of Contract for the Supply of Legal Services by Barristers to Authorised Persons 2012 ( as updated in 2018 for GDPR) as published by the General Council of the Bar of the UK (“Bar Council”) and agreed with Counsel.
13. Unless otherwise agreed between the registered barrister of Tennyson Chambers and Instructing Solicitors or public access client no substitute service will be provided if the contracting registered barrister to provide the contracted for legal service is unavailable.
14. A public access client or direct access professional or client using a solicitor has the right to cancel the legal services which he or she has contracted for with a registered barrister member of Tennyson Chambers in accordance with The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 where a client has contracted for legal services for his own personal use (as opposed to for his /her business affairs). Please ask your chosen registered barrister for further details of cancellation rights. Where a client has concluded a contract for legal services with a registered barrister member of Tennyson Chambers in respect of their own personal affairs as a consumer (as opposed to their business affairs) and at a distance from the registered barrister or not within the physical premises occupied by Tennyson Chambers then a client defined by the regulations above as a consumer has a right to cancel their contract for legal services with Counsel from these chambers within 14 days from the day of conclusion of the contract for legal services with their Counsel.
15. To exercise a right to cancel a client must inform their chosen contracting registered barrister (Counsel) of their decision to cancel the contract in a clear statement (i.e. by letter sent by post, fax or e mail) to contact details given by their contracting Counsel. To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for a client to send their communication concerning the exercise of the right to cancel before the cancellation period has expired.
16. Please see the above regulations for further details about the conditions and procedures to enable a client to cancel a contract for legal services which they have reached with a registered barrister from Tennyson Chambers.
17. Please note that although the United Kingdom has left the European Union the above 2013 regulations continue to apply.