Articles like this one make my blood boil.
Once again, Jack Straw paints a picture of legal aid barristers as fat cats who take great pleasure in earning a fortune from taxpayer’s money. Here’s a classic example of his twisted sense of logic:
“There is an interesting comparison to make between the top-earning criminal law firm, which has received just over £9 million in legal aid payments over the year and employs 186 staff, with the highest earning barrister, who made close to £1 million for just a single individual.”
No wander legal aid barristers have such a bad name when the Justice Minister chooses to go around flagging up facts like this. I think The Times must also be slightly to blame for this, because it is only at the end of the article that it is acknowledged that: “The large majority of legal aid lawyers work long hours and provide a valuable and vital public service”.
Jack Straw’s miracle solution is to introduce best value tendering. But this will inevitably mean a decrease in quality, with firms offering discount rates for discount lawyers. The only people who will really suffer from such a stupid idea are the vulnerable members of society who use legal aid barristers.
