Representation

Hi, I'm preparing for my FDA hearing in September. My solicitor has emailed me with recommendations for a barrister. Do I need a barrister this early in the process? I may have misunderstood the email but it seems that they are advising that they are present and a barrister, this seems a bit over the top to me. I would be grateful for any advice.
many thanks

Usually the FDA is an administration hearing and can be dispensed with by agreement without a hearing - this is the accelerated process.

It is also possible to use the FDA as though it were an FDR. Both parties have to agree to that and inform the court so that enough time can be allocated to the process. If that is the intention I can see the benefit of solicitor and barrister being there to early settlement and avoid a lengthy and costly legal process.

However, if the FDA is the usual 'vanilla' FDA where there will be submissions about questionnaires and what valuations/reports are required, the solicitor or the barrister can deal with that.
It is often the case that it is cheaper to send a barrister to deal with the hearing alone rather than the solicitor dealing with the hearing alone - it depends upon the level of the barrister/solicitor and whether there will be travel time.

Charles