Barristers to Down Their Wigs Next Week in Strike Over Legal Aid Money

The "Lady of Justice," a 12 foot high, gold leaf statue is pictured on top of the dome of the Central Criminal Court, commonly referred to as The Old Bailey in central London on Aug. 21, 2016. Niklas Halle'n/AFP via Getty Images

Barristers are expected to man picket lines outside the Old Bailey and many other criminal courts next week after the legal profession in England and Wales voted to go on strike as it pressures the government to increase legal aid funding.

Justice Minister James Cartlidge described the outcome of the ballot as “disappointing” and said it would inevitably add to the backlog of trials.

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA), which represents barristers in England and Wales, said 81.5 percent of its 2,000 members voted and 53 percent of them approved of industrial action. They will withdraw their labour on June 27 and 28 and will ramp it up until the week of July 18 when there will be a five-day strike.

The CBA is demanding the government honour the recommendations of the Criminal Legal Aid Review which said barristers’ fees should go up by 15 percent.

Jo Sidhu QC and Kirsty Brimelow QC, from the CBA, said: “Without immediate action to halt the exodus of criminal barristers from our ranks, the record backlog that has crippled our courts will continue to inflict misery upon victims and defendants alike, and the public will be betrayed.”

They said, “the survival of a profession of specialist criminal advocates” was at stake.

The strikes are expected to cause major disruption to criminal trials but barrister Rachel Chan wrote on Twitter: “This is epic, unprecedented & significant.”

The strike is the latest step the CBA has taken to try and force the government to increase legal aid rates.

In April barristers refused to carry out “return work”—stepping in to cover court hearings for colleagues whose cases are overrunning—but now Justice Secretary Dominic Raab comes under more pressure.

Latest figures, in April 2022, from the HM Courts and Tribunals Service, show there were 58,271 outstanding cases at crown courts.

Cartlidge added: “The 15 percent pay increase we consulted on would mean a typical criminal barrister earning around £7,000 extra per year and only last week I confirmed we are moving as quickly as possible to introduce fee rises by the end of September. We encourage the Criminal Bar Association to work with us, rather than escalate to unnecessary strike action, as it will only serve to harm victims as they are forced to wait longer for justice.”

PA Media contributed to this report.