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I am a barrister in a London set (and a former solicitor) and the truth is that barristers are not rushing to do public access work.

For all the reasons set out above solicitors have the infrastructure and expertise to do their job and the bar provides specialism and advocacy.

In short the reason we have a split profession is because it works.

The important distinction is that very few barristers are authorised to conduct litigation, and without that authorisation the scope for public access work is severely restricted.

Like most barristers, I enjoy working as a team with the solicitors who instruct me and I am always grateful for the hard work that is put in to allow me to do my job.