I was shocked to read of the possibility of closure of some 400 to 800 small practices as a result of the reforms proposed by Lord Carter (see (2006), Gazette, 28 September, 1).

Whatever the number is, what he fails to take into account is the devastation this is going to cause to hard-working professionals and their families and the message it sends to those considering a career in criminal law. The closure of my practice cost me an enormous amount of money and it was impossible to find another firm willing to take over my practice because it would have made them a successor practice for insurance purposes. On top of all the other costs associated with closing down, I was asked to pay run-off insurance equal to two-and-half times my yearly premium. What Lord Carter's reforms envisage is enforced insolvency of several hundred firms and their proprietors.


It is risible to hear Lord Carter describe the reforms as a move to 'marketisation'. Nothing could be further from the truth. What the Legal Services Commission (LSC) has created is a false market where supply is restricted by government by way of the LSC contract. It is a closed shop, and the basis for inclusion in it had nothing to do with either quality of work or value for money.


The good news is that there are other equally rewarding career paths to follow and - however much it cost to get out from under the Criminal Defence Service - it was worth every penny. I now have my evenings and weekends to myself, a decent salary, and some certainty about the future - something those remaining in criminal defence will never have.


My advice to anyone consider-ing a career in criminal law: don't.


David Harris, Golds, Glasgow