Junior lawyers react to Legal Aid changes
The Carter Review continues to cause consternation as the changes to Legal Aid come into effect. Legal Aid divisions are closing down as it becomes less profitable, and solicitors are being forced to take on more private work. Whilst a great number of solicitors fundamentally believe in Legal Aid (Legal Week’s recent poll showed 73% of lawyers agreeing that it was vital for justice and that cost-cutting was not justified), we are seeing a significant number of junior lawyers in particular, expressly asking for private work only. Legal Aid is often regarded as the unattractive sister to private work, and with the negative publicity surrounding the Carter Review and cost-cutting at its worst, junior lawyers coming through the ranks may not be well-disposed to embrace the spirit of Legal Aid.
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