20 years at the Bar.
The truth about your case.
Fixed fees, no surprises.
I come in particles, not in waves — discrete pieces of work, not the general handling of a file.
Most people end up with a barrister eventually. The solicitor instructs one, the bills stack up, and by the time you reach the person with the real expertise you have already paid for the journey. Barraj cuts that out — you come directly to the barrister. One person, one fixed fee, from the very first conversation.
Barrister or solicitor — which does your problem need? The two-minute answer →
A deliberately small practice — I take a limited number of new matters each month.
Rhys Johns, Barrister · Called 2005 · Authorised & regulated by the Bar Standards Board · About Rhys →
Expert advice, not managed advice.
Paid up front for a fixed piece of work — no ongoing fee relationship to protect. You get an honest assessment, not a comfortable one.
The senior person, direct.
No solicitor in the middle taking a cut, and a senior barrister accountable for every piece of work that goes out. Twenty years at the Bar, straight to you.
Pay for what you need, nothing more.
Discrete pieces of work, fixed fees, no running clock. No monthly retainer — you come back when something specific needs doing, rather than funding a file that never closes.
Three kinds of client. One senior practitioner.
Direct access from the very first conversation — whether you're protecting a business, looking after your family, or facing something that has gone wrong.
Protecting what you're building
Documents and agreements drafted with a court eye — by someone who defends them in front of High Court judges.
- —Shareholder & partnership agreements
- —Director agreements
- —Terms & conditions
- —Business LPAs
Protecting what you've worked for
Wills, trusts and estate planning handled properly — so the people and things that matter to you are looked after.
- —Wills & lasting power of attorney
- —Property trusts
- —Estate & succession planning
- —Asset protection
When something has gone wrong
Fast triage, clear advice, fixed fee. You'll know exactly where you stand — without the solicitor in the middle.
- —Court advocacy
- —Case triage & initial advice
- —Settlement agreements
- —Commercial disputes
I come in particles, not in waves.
Borrowing from physics: I come in particles, not waves — discrete, defined pieces of work, not the open-ended handling of a file. It is also why the pricing works the way it does: one particle, one fixed price. Not everyone needs the same thing — some want a second opinion, some want one document done properly, some want a barrister in their corner for a single hearing. Pick the piece that fits — or book a free Initial View and we'll point you to the right one.
Know whether your case is worth fighting
A written, signed Opinion of Counsel on a defined question — the merits of your case, or the point a board needs to minute and a lender can rely on. A senior view, in writing, before you spend money on it.
Running your own case? Get a barrister for the parts that matter
Instruct on discrete tasks — draft my witness statement, prepare my skeleton, represent me at this one hearing — without handing over the whole case or paying for a full retainer.
Start the company on the right legal footing
Shareholder agreement, trading terms and director agreements drafted together, as one bundle, at one fixed price — the documents most new companies skip and later wish they hadn't.
Resolve it without the cost of a fight
Early neutral evaluation and fixed-fee mediation — a senior barrister's candid view of where a dispute would land, used to settle it sensibly rather than litigate it expensively.
Independent advice on your settlement agreement
Leaving a role under a settlement agreement? You need independent legal advice for it to be binding — and the employer usually contributes to that cost. Fast, fixed-fee, and often at no charge to you.
Get your will, powers of attorney and trusts done properly
The documents that decide what happens to what you own — and who speaks for you if you can't. Wills, lasting powers of attorney, trusts and full estate plans, drafted by a barrister rather than filled in from a form — each at a fixed fee agreed up front.
Your business doesn't need a law firm on retainer. It needs a senior lawyer on call.
Too much going on to handle every legal question alone — but not enough to justify an in-house lawyer or an open-ended firm retainer. Barraj fills that gap without a full-firm retainer — on tap when you need it, on a monthly arrangement, or with a once-a-year check — so the contracts stop getting signed unread and the awkward questions stop getting parked.
A barrister on tap
Instruct me when something specific comes up — a question, a contract to review, a decision to pressure-test — and pay a fixed fee for that piece alone.
- —Instruct only when you need to
- —A fixed fee for each defined piece
- —Straight to a senior barrister, every time
Fractional General Counsel
An agreed amount of senior legal time each month — the continuity of in-house counsel, at a fraction of the cost of employing one. Independent and court-tested, so what comes back is a decision, not a discussion paper.
One fixed monthly fee, agreed up front — see pricing →
The MOT or the GC — which is right for you? →
- —Knows your business, not just your latest problem
- —One predictable monthly cost, scoped to you
- —Scale up around big projects, down when it's quiet
The Legal MOT
A once-a-year health-check of your contracts, terms and legal exposure — so problems surface on a quiet afternoon, not in the middle of a dispute.
£1,500 first year, renews at £1,000 — see what’s covered →
- —One review a year, one fixed price (renewals £1,000)
- —A written report, ranked by what to fix first
- —Trouble caught before it becomes a dispute
You drafted it with AI.
Can you rely on it?
More people than ever are drafting contracts, letters and agreements with AI — and it's a sensible place to start. But a confident-sounding document isn't the same as a sound one, and the gap between the two is exactly where problems begin.
Send me what you've drafted and a barrister will tell you what it gets right, what it misses, and what would actually hold up in practice. You pay for the check — not the drafting — so it costs a fraction of starting from scratch.
You draft with AI
Bring the contract, letter or agreement you've generated. No need to start again.
A barrister reviews it
A senior barrister’s eye applied to exactly what you've got — clause by clause.
You know where you stand
A clear, fixed-fee verdict: what's solid, what's risky, and what to change before you rely on it.
From first conversation to senior delivery — no handoffs in between.
A conversation
Book a free Initial View — no obligation. I establish what you actually need — which may be different from what you came in asking for.
A clear plan
Within 24 hours you'll have a written fixed fee quote. No pressure, no obligation. Agree the fee, pay up front, and work begins.
Senior delivery
Drafting, advice or advocacy — with a senior barrister responsible for your matter. Every piece of work is reviewed and signed off by Rhys personally, carrying twenty years' specialist experience.
One fixed fee, agreed before any work begins.
Everything is a fixed fee agreed up front. No hourly clock, no surprise bills. I'll give you a clear quote based on what needs doing — and if your situation is straightforward, I'll tell you that too.
Paying up front isn't just administrative. It's what preserves independence. Once I've been paid to do a piece of work, I'm paid to tell you the truth about it — whether that's what you wanted to hear or not.
Coming to Barraj directly means one set of fees rather than two. Because this practice carries far lower overheads than a solicitor's firm, that can work out lower than paying a solicitor to instruct a barrister on your behalf — and the work goes straight to a specialist with twenty years' experience.
A word on fit: this works best for defined pieces of work — an agreement drafted, an opinion given, a hearing argued. If what you need is someone to hold your file and run everything for months on end, a solicitor is the better fit, and I'll tell you so.
The kinds of matters I handle.
Real matters, published with the clients’ consent and anonymised to protect confidentiality. The fees shown are what the client paid — every matter turns on its own facts.
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Straight answers people remember.
Real clients, in their own words — published with written consent, attributed as fully as each client was comfortable with.
Rhys is always willing to go the extra mile and speak to us regarding any issues our company has. He is approachable, thinks outside the box, and is effective in delivering solutions. We have used him on an ongoing basis for some time and will continue to do so — he is more cost effective than any solicitor we have used previously and gets stuck in at the highest level straight away.
I had an urgent injunction listed at the High Court. Rhys was able to receive the papers — which were 900 pages — read them, prepare written arguments overnight, represent me the following day and win the case. I can’t thank him enough for the speed and skill he showed in getting to grips with the matter.
My case didn’t go anywhere. Thankfully. Rhys took two hours to explain in detail why my case had difficulties, why bringing it would leave me out of pocket, and why I should look at another route entirely. He didn’t charge me. The alternative route worked for me and minimised my issue. I am grateful for the straight-talking advice where others would have pressed me to pay.
The things people ask first.
Every kind of case I take.
Most of this site is organised around where you are — running your own case, growing a business, planning your estate. But if you came looking for a particular kind of matter, here is the range in plain terms. Think of it as the shape of the work rather than a closed list: if your situation isn't named, it's very likely still one I take — just ask.
Disputes & litigation
- —Contract & commercial disputes
- —Boundary & neighbour disputes
- —Shareholder & partnership disputes
- —Debt recovery & enforcing judgments
- —Injunctions & urgent applications
- —Representation at hearings & trial
Business & commercial
- —Company formation & shareholder agreements
- —Trading terms & commercial contracts
- —Commercial leases
- —Employment contracts & policies
- —Terms & conditions review
Employment
- —Settlement agreements
- —Unfair & wrongful dismissal
- —Employment Tribunal claims
- —Discrimination & workplace disputes
Wills, trusts & estates
- —Wills & lasting powers of attorney
- —Trusts & family investment companies
- —Probate & estate administration
- —Estate & inheritance-tax planning
Court of Protection
- —Deputyship applications
- —Best-interests & capacity disputes
- —Court of Protection hearings
Advisory & second opinions
- —Opinion of Counsel on the merits
- —A second opinion on advice you've had
- —Pre-action strategy & risk
- —AI-drafted document checks
Family & financial remedy
- —Dividing finances on divorce or separation
- —Pensions, the family home & a business
- —Nuptial agreements & consent orders
- —Representation at the FDR & final hearing
Insolvency & restructuring
- —Winding-up petitions & liquidation
- —Bankruptcy & statutory demands
- —Directors’ duties & personal exposure
- —Injunctions to restrain a petition
Plain-English guidance, by area.
The same notes I give my own clients — considered, plainly written, and specific to the work I do. Choose the area that fits your situation, then pick the guide you need. Every guide is print-ready on A4. I also send the occasional practical note — no selling.
Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning
Planning what happens to what you own — in your lifetime, and after.
- —Estate Planning: The Whole Picture
- —Wills, LPAs, trusts & probate
- —Family investment companies & more
Business & Commercial
Getting the documents and the legal footing right from the start.
- —Starting your company on the right footing
- —Trading terms & contracts
- —The annual legal health-check
Disputes & Advocacy
Running, defending or settling a case — with senior advocacy where it counts.
- —Contract, boundary & shareholder disputes
- —Injunctions & urgent applications
- —Settlement, mediation & hearings
Clear prices, published up front.
A single fixed fee for a defined piece of work, agreed in writing before anything begins — no hourly clock, no surprise bills. The full price list sets out indicative fees across business, property, employment, wills, LPAs, trusts and advocacy. Not sure where your matter sits? Tell me what's going on and I'll come back with a no-obligation ballpark before you commit to anything.
Drafted something with AI? Have a barrister check it.
Pay for the check, not the drafting — and know what it missed before you rely on it.
Book a free Initial View.
No commitment. No clock running. Just a straight conversation about where you are and what you need. Most people know within 30 minutes whether we're the right fit.