*/
Desmond Browne QC, the Chairman of the Bar Council, has criticised proposals to reform legal aid as “cuts in spending, pure and simple”.
In August, the Ministry of Justice (“MoJ”) set out its plans to “rebalance” the £2 billion legal aid budget, in its consultation, Legal Aid: Funding Reforms . These include “rationalising” the rate of pay for defence barristers in Crown Court cases so that they are brought more in line with CPS rates, which are on average 23 per cent less.
Browne warned: “Cuts on this scale will not merely drive down quality, they will force practitioners out of legal aid work.
The Bar accepts that there has been a lack of parity between prosecution and defence fees. That disparity arose simply because the CPS did not revise their rates in line with those of Lord Carter.
“It is the height of perversity to turn this issue on its head and force defence fees down to the level of unacceptably low prosecution fees.”
Browne has written to the heads of criminal sets asking for their views on how best to respond to “see off ” the proposal.
The MoJ also proposes to reduce fees for police station work in some areas, combine work on committals into one fixed fee, end payments for criminal file reviews, and pay experts the same for work in civil as in criminal cases.
Barristers have until 12 November to respond to the consultation.
Browne warned: “Cuts on this scale will not merely drive down quality, they will force practitioners out of legal aid work.
The Bar accepts that there has been a lack of parity between prosecution and defence fees. That disparity arose simply because the CPS did not revise their rates in line with those of Lord Carter.
“It is the height of perversity to turn this issue on its head and force defence fees down to the level of unacceptably low prosecution fees.”
Browne has written to the heads of criminal sets asking for their views on how best to respond to “see off ” the proposal.
The MoJ also proposes to reduce fees for police station work in some areas, combine work on committals into one fixed fee, end payments for criminal file reviews, and pay experts the same for work in civil as in criminal cases.
Barristers have until 12 November to respond to the consultation.
Desmond Browne QC, the Chairman of the Bar Council, has criticised proposals to reform legal aid as “cuts in spending, pure and simple”.
In August, the Ministry of Justice (“MoJ”) set out its plans to “rebalance” the £2 billion legal aid budget, in its consultation, Legal Aid: Funding Reforms. These include “rationalising” the rate of pay for defence barristers in Crown Court cases so that they are brought more in line with CPS rates, which are on average 23 per cent less.
The Bar Council is ready to support a turn to the efficiencies that will make a difference
A £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs has been made to the leading UK charity tackling international parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the latest ONS data on drug misuse and its implications for toxicology testing in family law cases
An interview with Rob Wagg, CEO of New Park Court Chambers
What meaningful steps can you take in 2026 to advance your legal career? asks Thomas Cowan of St Pauls Chambers
With at least 31 reports of AI hallucinations in UK legal cases – over 800 worldwide – and judges using AI to assist in judicial decision-making, the risks and benefits are impossible to ignore. Matthew Lee examines how different jurisdictions are responding
Ever wondered what a pupillage is like at the CPS? This Q and A provides an insight into the training, experience and next steps
The appointments of 96 new King’s Counsel (also known as silk) are announced today
Resolution of the criminal justice crisis does not lie in reheating old ideas that have been roundly rejected before, say Ed Vickers KC, Faras Baloch and Katie Bacon
With pupillage application season under way, Laura Wright reflects on her route to ‘tech barrister’ and offers advice for those aiming at a career at the Bar
