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Quality work is usually associated with those who feel happy with their lot, and their pay, and their worth. Such people are well motivated. Criminal lawyers certainly do not feel that way (and neither, for that matter, do most other solicitors in private practice). Such a feeling of dissatisfaction and worthlessness is hardly conducive to producing competence and quality. Indeed, such a scenario as presently exists is most likely to dissuade the competent from undertaking this type of work at all unless they are very altruistic and have no interest in financial gain.

It is strange that bodies like the Law Society, the SRA and the government flatly refuse to associate competence and quality with the motivation to do the job well. They invariably require a Rolls Royce service for whatever low fee is paid and irrespective of the general level of disgruntlement of the poor saps who actually do the work, refusing at all times to speak of 'quality' and 'pay' in the same breath.

LB