General practitioners all know that for at least ten years the legal aid rates for criminal law solicitors have been derisory. So what do we do? We sign letters, we write to our local MPs, we bemoan our plight, but still we do not have the bottle to say to this government that this is unacceptable and that we will stop representing clients forthwith.

Ten years ago, my law firm was predominantly a legal aid practice. We closed our criminal department five years ago simply because it did not make money commensurate with the qualifications, commitment and experience the work deserved.


There is only one way to make this government see sense - all criminal law solicitors should agree to boycott the criminal law system for a period of at least two weeks to demonstrate the pivotal part they play in the English legal system.


This has to be a unanimous decision on the part of all practising criminal law solicitors. But I surmise it will never happen because most of them have an innate inability to incorporate the word 'no' in their vocabulary.


Losing a fortnight's salary to retain one's livelihood has to be a better option than being compelled to close your criminal law practice.


Peter Morgan, Osborne Morris & Morgan, Leighton Buzzard