Photograph by Steve Punter
Criminal courts across England and Wales have been severely disrupted after barristers and solicitors staged a mass walkout in protest of government plans to slash legal aid fees.
A walkout on this scale is unprecedented according to the Criminal Bar Association, with today the first time the two wings of the legal profession have coordinated action across the country.
The lawyers are careful not to call their walkout a “strike”, but they are demonstrating against government cuts to legal aid fees that they hope will save around £220 million per year, and hope justice secretary Chris Gayling may be forced to rethink his proposals.
The laywers warn that the proposed reductions will lead to lower quality legal representation and miscarriages of justice, with the legal profession subjected to deeper cuts than other public sectors.
