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Re. Anon 1300: “As a Civil Law solicitor, I cannot understand why anyone would want to be a Criminal law solicitor or Barrister given the paltry fees allowed and the way they are treated by the Profession.”

Years ago I would have replied it was because I came from a poor single parent background with first hand experience of hardship and associated societal injustice. Except I now have one eye on what some of my family are earning, one having gone into medicine with a similar public service as me but earning way more than I ever will, another going into investment banking where his “complaints” are having to spend time away from his family in Singapore writing reports for an international bank and having to pay half his wages in tax - his tax bill being more than I will ever earn.

Does the government even know let alone care about legal aid deserts? I know from colleagues gone by that there are areas in the south of England and Wales which will probably never attract criminal defence solicitors. And who can blame law graduates? Welcome to law firm X. Here is your salary. Don’t expect a pay rise for the duration of your employment (irrespective how long it is) because there is no pay increment structure at legal aid rates given their stagnation for 20+ years. Unless you can make partnership (before the firm goes to the wall). Don’t worry though, you will get paid your mileage to court at 45 p per mile, originally meant to cover wear and tear of your car once upon a time when petrol was something like 50 p per litre but not anymore. Now it barely covers the cost of driving to one of the few courts that hasn’t been closed down but still double the distance it used to be.

It’s a desolate situation. The government know they need to solve Brexit but can’t.. They don’t even care about criminal legal aid and never will. What incentive is there to?