Bar Council launches debt recovery initiative

A new debt recovery panel to help barristers get the money they are owed from professional clients has been launched today by the Bar Council, the representative body for barristers in England & Wales.

The new panel has been bolstered by the addition of two legal firms who specialise in debt recovery, with more firms expected to sign up. Thrings and Veale Wasborough Vizards are the first firms to join the panel, providing experienced assistance to any individual member of the Bar who is looking to make back the money that is owed to them by clients.

Announcing the new initiative today, Andrew Langdon QC, Chairman of the Bar, stated that: “The debt recovery panel will be an essential service for many barristers. As most of us are self-employed, income is essential to our livelihoods. Balanced against that is the need to maintain long-term commercial relationships with our professional clients.

"With that in mind, the law firms on the panel are adept at handling the sensitivities around debt recovery and are able to handle the recovery of fees owed to barristers delicately. We want barristers to know they can turn to this service with the confidence that their case will be handled with care.

“This is one of a number of initiatives we have taken to provide a practical service to rank-and-file members of the Bar.”

The panel will provide a choice of payment options for Bar members, with firms working on a no win no fee basis as well as at fixed up front rates giving barristers choice, allowing flexibility based upon individual preferences and financial situations. Some firms on the panel will offer discounts or additional services to those barristers who pay the Bar Council’s Bar Representation Fee.

In 2015, the Bar Council closed its Fees Collection service following the introduction of Standard Contractual Terms in January 2013, the introduction of which was to avoid instructions being taken on non-contractual terms.

Since the Bar Council can no longer assist with unpaid fees, the panel of solicitors’ firms who provide debt-recovery services and come recommended by clients is seen as a useful step forward and one that allows thr Council to provide a service to its members that it is no longer able to provide itself.

The panel is not an exclusive list of those offering debt-recovery services for the Bar and the Bar Council welcomes further recommendations from barristers and chambers for further additions to the panel.

Please click here for further information.

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