Standard Digital Edition

Criminal barristers stage four-week court walkout over legal aid funding

John Dunne

CRIMINAL barristers today became the latest profession to go on strike as they staged court walkouts in a dispute over legal aid funding.

The Criminal Bar Association, which represents barristers in England and Wales, said around 81.5 per cent of the more than 2,000 members to vote in the ballot supported walking out of court.

They will also refuse to accept new cases and to carry out “return work” — stepping in and picking up court hearings and other work for colleagues whose cases are overrunning.

The strikes are intended to span four weeks, starting today and tomorrow and increasing by one day each week until a five-day strike from July 18 to 22.

The number of lawyers working in criminal justice has declined over the last decade, with many saying they cannot make a living from the rates paid to them when they take on cases funded by legal aid.

Today’s action follows a series of walkouts last week by rail workers and reports of unrest among teaching staff and NHS employees. Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said: “It’s regrettable that the Criminal Bar Association is striking, given only 43.5 per cent of their members voted for this particular, most disruptive, option.

“I encourage them to agree the proposed 15 per cent pay rise, which would see a typical barrister earn around £7,000 more a year.”

Jo Sidhu QC, chair of the CBA, said the action was not merely about pay but “redressing the shortfall in the supply of criminal barristers to help deal with the crisis in our courts”.

“We have already suffered an average decrease in our real earnings of 28 per cent since 2006 and juniors in their first three years of practice earn a median income of only £12,200, which is below minimum wage,” he said.

Mr Sidhu said almost 40 per cent of junior criminal barristers left the profession in one year.

News

en-gb

2022-06-27T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-06-27T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://eveningstandard.pressreader.com/article/281775632843794

Evening Standard Limited