Instructing a barrister directly
You can approach a Public Access barrister without first instructing a solicitor. Here is the simple route from an initial question to agreed work.
Three steps, no unnecessary paperwork at the outset
- Give a short outline. Explain the issue, what help you need and any urgent date. Do not include a full bundle or sensitive allegations at this stage.
- Check suitability. Keane checks conflicts, availability and whether direct instruction is appropriate, usually aiming to complete an initial conflict check within 24 hours once relevant names are available. Further information may then be requested through an appropriate route.
- Choose whether to instruct. If Keane can act, you receive a defined scope, fixed-fee quotation plus VAT, likely timetable and written agreement. Read and sign the terms, then pay only using details verified with chambers. Work and fuller document-sharing begin after the agreed steps, not because you made an enquiry.
You would instruct Keane personally as a self-employed Public Access barrister for a suitable England and Wales matter; his practice is clerked by The Barrister Group. Work in other jurisdictions is not offered through this site. Enquiries can be made through the short website form, by professional email or through the external Direct Access Portal form. An enquiry does not pause a deadline or create a barrister–client relationship.
What you may need to do yourself.
Where permitted and appropriate, Keane can provide advice, draft documents and represent you at a hearing. He is not individually authorised to conduct litigation, according to the BSB register. If you are not represented by a solicitor, you remain a litigant in person: you are responsible for tasks such as issuing proceedings, filing and serving documents, communicating with the court and monitoring procedural deadlines. The written terms should explain precisely who does what.
If the case is too complex to manage without a solicitor, or if another regulated service is needed, the direct route may not be appropriate. Public Access work does not make legal aid available for a direct instruction.
When direct access may not be right
Keane is marked “Self Employed” and “Public Access: Yes” on the BSB Barristers' Register. Even so, each matter must be suitable and specifically accepted. Where a solicitor is needed to run a case or meet a procedural obligation, this will be explained.
Read the BSB Public Access Guidance for Lay Clients for the regulator's fuller explanation.