Is Legal Aid really still a pillar of our Welfare State? Acknowledging those on the inside who are really upholding access to justice

Dr Emma Cooke
University of Kent

The recent barrister strikes over low pay and inadequate funding have been labelled a symptom of Britain’s crumbling justice system. Following the ongoing industrial action in health, education, transport, and civil service public sectors, criminal barristers followed suit over a long-running dispute over their lack of pay. Barristers involved in legal work at the start of their careers, face a mere average salary of £12,200 after expenses, chambers’ rent, clerks’ fees, tax, insurance and travel (Financial Times, 2022)[i]. This couldn’t be further from the ‘fat cat’ lawyer label often at the forefront of public media vilification. The confusion between publicly funded work by the state (legal aid) with privately funded work remains. The public side of the profession has been surviving on barristers’ commitment to justice and goodwill and is now creaking more than ever. Defunding of public services is so ubiquitous in today’s society, we could almost say it’s lost its bite. There is a dire need for reinvestment and an urgent need to reduce reliance on the goodwill of practitioners (LAPG, 2021)[ii].