Twenty Years of Direct Access
Author Chensiyuan Licence CC BY-SA 3.0 Source Wikimedia Commons Jane Lambert The scheme known as direct or public access by which members of the public may approach barristers without first instructing a solicitor or other intermediary came into being on 1 July 2004. The 20th anniversary of the start of that scheme has coincided with the Bar Council's launch of a new Direct Access Portal and three YouTube videos entitled What is Direct Access? , What does a Direct Access Barrister do? and How to use the Direct Access Portal? I was one of the first barristers to qualify for direct access. I received my first instructions through the scheme within days of finishing the course. I have continued to receive a flow of direct access work ever since. The scheme implemented the recommendations of a report by a working party chaired by Sir Sydney Kentridge KC with the title Competition in Professions. The re...