CBA chairman vehemently opposes QASA and legal aid cuts

The chairperson of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), Nigel Lithman QC, has voiced his opposition to the government's Quality Assurance Standards for Advocacy (QASA) scheme, as well as its plans to cut 30% of all legal aid fees.

Lithman was recently appointed to the post on the back of his long-standing reputation as a "pugnacious and tenacious" QC. He will lead the CBA's opposition to QASA, a scheme which proposes the creation of "plea only advocates" - barristers with no trial experience who are only able to enter guilty pleas. Under the scheme, plea only advocates would also be in charge of advising their clients whether to contest the charge against them. The CBA says that QASA is "an unfair and unlawful attempt to regulate the profession and to diminish the quality of the representation".

Previously, the CBA played a leading role in overturning the government's plans to sell legal aid contracts to the lowest bidder, preventing companies such as trucking magnate Eddie Stobart using the cheapest and least-qualified barristers to enter as many guilty pleas as possible to maximise profits.

Lithman said: "Do we really want 'justice for some' and an 'unfair trial for all'? This will be the outcome of the current proposals. As chair of the CBA, I will fight tooth and nail against these moves: I will fight for the profession and I will fight for the public’s rights."