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Sadly for the Profession there are no votes for any government giving 'fat cat' lawyers (the propaganda is quite successful) more money to represent the more despised members of Society and to make their agenda work you will have noticed rural police stations and small town courts closing in recent years. I lost two courts and three police stations within 10 miles of my office!

Those of us who cared and who took a pride in what we did (yes and I admit wanted to be paid a professional rate for the job) are acutely aware of the decline, not only in the Criminal Justice System, but also the decline in the ability and standards of some of those who have entered the Profession in recent years.

As far as numbers and age are concerned however, my own experience, like some who have posted below, is that the overall numbers do not appear to be dwindling in fact the opposite!

In the Northern provincial city where my semi rural clients ultimately found themselves, the pond is full of lawyers of all ages and suffice to say it is significantly 'overfished' (... resulting in behaviour by some which has to be seen to be believed, but about which the authorities do nothing).

I have recently retired after 36 years in practice as a criminal solicitor. I was saddened to leave noting that we are no longer perceived by our paymasters as an Honourable Profession undertaking a valuable role in a civilised domocracy but as a necessary evil about which the 'bottom line' is everything. In my opinion perhaps surprisingly this regime has not brought about a general drop in numbers but increasingly seems to be producing a fall in ability and standards.