*/
Falling pay rates could make it ‘unaffordable’ for young barristers to pursue criminal legal aid work, the Bar Council warned.
A report on the fees paid to junior barristers under the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme in criminal legal aid showed that the average annual earnings from Crown Court cases was £56,000, which the Bar Council said equates to £28,000 after the deduction of tax and expenses.
The figures, published by the Ministry of Justice, revealed that the median fee income had fallen by 8% from £61,000 in 2012-13 to £56,000 in 2014-15 (Composition and remuneration of junior barristers under the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme in criminal legal aid).
Immediate past Bar Chairman Alistair MacDonald QC said: ‘This report provides clear evidence that barristers’ fees for criminal legal aid work have fallen in recent years owing to fee cuts.’
He said the cuts meant that the net income of barristers doing this work was ‘way below’ that of professions which require similar levels of qualification and expertise, such as doctors.
Criminal barristers, he said, are frequently required to work during the evening and at weekends. But despite this, he said: ‘At the very junior end, it is not uncommon for a barrister to put in a hard day’s work at a magistrates’ court and still fail to make the minimum wage.’
MacDonald added: ‘This report also shows that the payment structure provides little scope for career progression for criminal barristers.
‘It takes many years of practice and training at the Bar to prosecute and defend complex criminal cases, but if it is unaffordable for young barristers to pursue this line of work, we will find cases collapsing due to a lack of experienced counsel.’
Sam Mercer, Head of Equality and Diversity at the Bar Council, warned of the impact that the low fees would have on the diversity of the junior criminal Bar.
‘A low, flat, pay structure exacerbates the difficulties faced by talented female barristers who have to pay for childcare and it is a disincentive to those from modest financial backgrounds struggling with student debt,’ she said.
Falling pay rates could make it ‘unaffordable’ for young barristers to pursue criminal legal aid work, the Bar Council warned.
A report on the fees paid to junior barristers under the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme in criminal legal aid showed that the average annual earnings from Crown Court cases was £56,000, which the Bar Council said equates to £28,000 after the deduction of tax and expenses.
The figures, published by the Ministry of Justice, revealed that the median fee income had fallen by 8% from £61,000 in 2012-13 to £56,000 in 2014-15 (Composition and remuneration of junior barristers under the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme in criminal legal aid).
Immediate past Bar Chairman Alistair MacDonald QC said: ‘This report provides clear evidence that barristers’ fees for criminal legal aid work have fallen in recent years owing to fee cuts.’
He said the cuts meant that the net income of barristers doing this work was ‘way below’ that of professions which require similar levels of qualification and expertise, such as doctors.
Criminal barristers, he said, are frequently required to work during the evening and at weekends. But despite this, he said: ‘At the very junior end, it is not uncommon for a barrister to put in a hard day’s work at a magistrates’ court and still fail to make the minimum wage.’
MacDonald added: ‘This report also shows that the payment structure provides little scope for career progression for criminal barristers.
‘It takes many years of practice and training at the Bar to prosecute and defend complex criminal cases, but if it is unaffordable for young barristers to pursue this line of work, we will find cases collapsing due to a lack of experienced counsel.’
Sam Mercer, Head of Equality and Diversity at the Bar Council, warned of the impact that the low fees would have on the diversity of the junior criminal Bar.
‘A low, flat, pay structure exacerbates the difficulties faced by talented female barristers who have to pay for childcare and it is a disincentive to those from modest financial backgrounds struggling with student debt,’ she said.
The Chair of the Bar reports back
By Kem Kemal, CEO, Henry Dannell
By BSK Financial Planning
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs
Susie Griffin on the admin that keeps barristers from billable work
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how global events can influence the performance of pensions and ISAs, and why taking a long-term approach to investing is often the most effective strategy
Kick off your career at the Bar Council’s Pupillage Fair this October – it’s one of the most valuable opportunities for aspiring barristers, says Amelia Clegg
Join us on Saturday 21 November 2026 at Leeds Beckett University and see for yourself why the North continues to be an exceptional place to build a career at the Bar
The golden age of advocacy? David Langwallner pays homage to the filmic if contentious barrister Sir Edward Carson and some of his contemporaries
Henry Fingerhut outlines what the Bar Standards Board AI guidance means for early career barristers
Not yet, says Jacob Turner. Regulation, unlike the technology itself, is a domain the legal profession can still control
