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For the love of God, it’s hardly rocket science.
The employers of criminal legal aid solicitors get paid an average of about £45 an hour for generally unpleasant and sometimes dangerous lower crime work whilst having to run heavily regulated 24 hour a day practices compliant with SQM or Lexcel, onerous LAA contracts, whilst being at the mercy of the odd complaint to the Ombudsman from clients with challenging mental health conditions.

Payment is at 1997 rates with an 8.5% cut imposed some years ago.

It is, frankly, an utter disgrace that the situation has been allowed to reach the shambolic state that it has.