Criminal solicitors and barristers in Northern Ireland took part in a one-day strike on Monday 4 November to protest low legal aid fees. The Criminal Bar Association said that, when adjusted for inflation, legal aid rates have plummeted between 47% and 58% since 2005, putting the system of criminal aid at a “crisis point”.
The UK legal sector, which the government has described as a “national asset and an engine of economic growth”, has been recognised as an area to be supported in the government’s 10-year industrial strategy. This is a move that’s been welcomed by the Law Society of England and Wales.