How to instruct a barrister in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong you normally instruct a barrister through a solicitor. The Hong Kong Bar Association describes barristers as a referral profession: except in a few recognised situations, people who need legal services cannot instruct a barrister directly. You retain a solicitor, and the solicitor instructs the barrister for you. Members of some recognised professional bodies can use Professional Direct Access, but only within their own field.

What a barrister does

The Bar describes a barrister as an expert in advocacy who specialises in litigation. Through your solicitor, you can instruct a barrister to represent you in court, to give oral or written advice on any legal matter, or to draft documents related to litigation. Barristers practise from chambers, and the Bar Association publishes the Bar List of those in practice.

The usual route, step by step

1. Instruct a Hong Kong solicitor. Check the firm and the solicitor on the Law Society’s Law List first. See how to instruct a solicitor.
2. Discuss whether a barrister is needed. The Bar says it is the instructing solicitor’s role to decide whether a barrister should be instructed in your interests and, if so, which one.
3. Raise any barrister you have in mind. Check the name on the Bar List using our Bar List guide, then talk it through with your solicitor.
4. Agree the fees through your solicitor. The Bar says the solicitor negotiates the barrister’s fees on your behalf.
5. Give your solicitor full instructions. The solicitor takes your instructions and distils the facts the barrister needs to advise or represent you, so share every document that might matter.

How barristers charge

The Bar’s guidance for the public says a barrister’s fees depend on the complexity of the matter, the time spent, and the barrister’s seniority and experience. Two terms come up in court work:

The Bar also says you are entitled to know the fees a barrister charges and to have access to the related documents, and that no fee can be charged by anyone for introducing a barrister to you. Ask your solicitor to include the barrister’s likely fees in the costs estimate.

Professional Direct Access

Under the Bar’s Professional Direct Access rules, members of professional and statutory bodies approved by the Bar Council as Recognised Direct Access Bodies can instruct a barrister without a solicitor. The Bar names professionals such as accountants, company secretaries, arbitrators, tax practitioners and surveyors, and public bodies such as the Ombudsman. The conditions:

• the work must fall generally within the professional expertise of members of that body
• instructions come from the body’s qualified instructing members or officers, as listed by the Bar
• briefs are accepted on the Bar’s Recommended Standard Terms of Engagement

The Bar says access by the general public is normally through solicitors, which helps keep the barrister impartial. Direct access is not a route for a member of the public with a personal case.

If you cannot pay for a barrister

The Bar’s Bar Free Legal Service Scheme stopped taking new applications on 24 May 2024. In December 2025 the Bar Association launched a new Pro Bono Scheme; if you want pro bono help and a referral to the Bar, it asks you to contact one of the NGOs listed on its website. You can also check if you qualify for legal aid.

Checks before you go ahead

• Confirm the barrister’s name on the Bar List, and check the Senior Counsel view if they are described as SC.
• Be wary of anyone who asks you for a fee to introduce a barrister. The Bar says none can be charged.
• Keep your solicitor as your point of contact for instructions and fees.
• If you have a concern about a barrister’s conduct, see how to complain to the Bar.

We list chambers in our law directory from each set’s own website. We do not place barristers or take introduction fees, we are not the Bar Association, and nothing here is legal advice.