The plight of criminal defence solicitors is desperate. We are being bullied by the Legal Services Commission (LSC) into confirming, by 31 October at the latest (or else...), that we will sign a new contract.


We all know that the contract is in a form that we would advise no client to sign. Inadequate pay and conditions, and in every respect weighted in favour of the LSC.



We know that we, defence lawyers, are in a very bleak place. We are facing falling pay on the one hand, and increasingly complex law and higher file maintenance standards on the other. There is no bright new dawn. Most of us want to leave.



We also know that if we stand shoulder to shoulder, and announce en masse and with solidarity that we will not sign this contract, that we would win this battle. The LSC would have to back off, and maybe some sensible dialogue would

take place.



So, why aren't we doing that?



Name and address supplied