I would like to thank the Gazette for shining the spotlight on the gulf in access to justice between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’. We read about the ‘stellar cast of lawyers’ representing the defendants in the Brooks/Coulson saga, including no fewer than one QC and two juniors for each of those two defendants. Of course, I am not privy to the terms of the retainers, but let us assume the lawyers are not acting solely out of the kindness of their hearts.

Immediately adjacent was an article about the Ministry of Justice imposing a 30% cut in legal aid fees in very high cost cases (that is, complicated criminal cases), causing the Criminal Bar Association to criticise the MoJ for treating barristers with ‘contempt’.

I wonder what Ms Brooks and Mr Coulson would have thought had they been told that their ‘legal team’ would be not so much a team but more of a single, not-so-senior underpaid barrister.

Neil Hughes, QualitySolicitors Copley Clark, Banstead

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