PAYING THE PRICE

The Gazette recently reported on the Supreme Court costs office fees for the Midland Circuit for which I am based (see [2001] Gazette, 31 August, 34).

I can't help but notice that in Nottingham and Derbyshire a grade D fee-earner can charge 78 per hour.

Grade D is defined as being trainee solicitors, paralegals and fee-earners who are of equivalent experience.

It is a source of wonder and amusement that those who are working under criminal defence service contacts are not more despairing than is already the case.

Having been qualified for 18 years, I still go out in the middle of the night to police stations, travelling for 28.33 or at best 67.93 as duty solicitor.

Even at court, the best possible rate for advocacy is 62.35 per hour.Plainly the government take us for fools to carry on doing publicly funded defence work.

NV Wright, Pinders Solicitors, Derby