Further to your news item ‘Compulsory pro bono’ (see letters, 12 November) I must express my amusement at Lord Bach’s views on pro bono work and the ‘concern’ he has about the lack of confidence in our profession. Perhaps he should address the lack of confidence the publicly funded members of our profession have in him.

In a profession that is viewed by the public as overpaid, criminal legal aid lawyers now work on fixed fees to save government revenue and are being told that in order to support our own industry we should work for free.

It would be an interesting sociological experiment for the government to pay employees of the Ministry of Justice from Monday to Thursday at a lower wage and then ask them to detail their motivation to work for free on the remaining day of the week.

As a criminal solicitor I have acted for many clients pro bono and, while it is certainly rewarding, we must couple this with funded work for obvious reasons. It also amuses me that Bach’s proposals for pro bono work are aimed at a section of society that does not qualify for legal aid because of the government-imposed fixed fees and thresholds, thereby requiring our profession to rectify governmental mistakes. For free. Oliver Nicholas, PCB Solicitors, Shrewsbury