Criminal legal aid receives much-needed boost

The Law Society of England and Wales has welcomed recent government announcements regarding fee increases for criminal legal aid, viewing this as an important advancement for the public service. The consultation response on proposals for solicitor fee scheme reform includes measures that aim to support legal professionals within the system. “We all benefit from there being enough criminal legal aid lawyers to carry out this crucial work at police stations, in magistrates' courts, in the Crown Court, and in prisons,” said Law Society vice president Brett Dixon.

Dixon emphasised the importance of criminal defence lawyers in maintaining an equitable judicial process, stating, “Criminal defence lawyers help ensure that there is a level playing field across the system, that cases can be dealt with efficiently and that victims, witnesses and defendants can get timely justice and fair outcomes." He further described the extra funding as “a positive step forward and a short-term boost for the profession after decades of underfunding and cuts.”

The new measures include an increase in the escape fee for police station work, which the Law Society views as a significant improvement. “We are particularly pleased to see the government has taken on our feedback including increasing the escape fee for police station work.” Despite these advancements, there remains disappointment that the Ministry of Justice did not address the additional costs of out-of-hours work, a concern for many professionals in the sector.

Research conducted by the Law Society highlights the severity of the situation, revealing that since 2017, over 1,400 criminal duty solicitors have exited the field. With one in eight duty solicitor schemes at risk of becoming unsustainable, the average age of those remaining is 51, and only 7% are under 35 years old. Dixon has called for further action, stating, “To give the profession confidence that the government has a long-term commitment to criminal legal aid, it also needs to implement annual cost-of-living increases.”