@MRJKilcoyne @Louise_VJ I don’t know why I’ve been tagged in this thread, and can’t see most of it, but putting aside Henriques’ comments, there is a very real problem with legal aid rates and funding at the junior criminal Bar, with people earning below minimum wage for 60-hour weeks.
@MRJKilcoyne @Louise_VJ It’s not a fashionable or sympathetic topic, as shown by your caricature, but it’s vital. Very few graduates want to become criminal solicitors because the pay is so low. Pay and conditions at the criminal Bar is forcing many - especially women - out of the profession.
@MRJKilcoyne @Louise_VJ This means that, after years of progress, criminal law is going to be the preserve of the independently wealthy, reinforcing the very stereotype you rail against. It also, inevitably, will deter the best candidates from pursuing crime.
@MRJKilcoyne @Louise_VJ And it may sound like an abstract issue, but it’s all too real if you’re the victim of crime, or find yourself accused of a crime. You’ll want good lawyers working on your case. Not some cowboy willing to have a go for £4 an hour.
