Site Visits

Why it is important to view land

In order to be able to advise on a matter regarding land it is usual for the barrister to visit the site, and  I personally do not feel that I can be sure of giving the best advice without viewing land for myself.

Some lawyers will advise without making a site visit, based on plans, photographs and videos, but, whilst not wanting to make any criticism of how others organise their practices, I personally do not feel that I can be sure of giving the best advice without viewing land for myself. When you are familiar with a subject, a photo of it is easy to interpret because the brain retrieves stored knowledge and uses it to interpret the photo. Because this is a process which happens automatically, there is a tendency for a photograph-taker to think that the photo shows something more clearly than it actually does to someone unfamiliar with the scene. Also asking a client to take a video and/or a photo, viewing it, and then asking for further photos/videos of particular aspects is a rather cumbersome process. In addition the character of the general vicinity can sometimes be relevant to the interpretation of a deed. This is only so in a minority of cases and a lawyer asking for photos/videos of various areas by "remote control" will not be aware that there is anything particular about the vicinity to be captured in photos, and so may not ask, whereas a lawyer who visits will become aware of the character of a the vicinity as they approach the property. 

Cost     

I, like most barristers, do not charge for travelling time because I can work whilst travelling so that it is not lost time. And personally I also do not charge for travel expenses either. I treat travel expenses as a general overhead and quote the same fee for the same kind of case, irrespective of location. 

This page was lasted updated in February 2026         Disclaimer