Legal Aid

Legal aid payments

PUBLISHED May 1, 2009
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The annual list of the highest paid solicitors firms and barristers from legal aid in 2007/08 has been published on the Ministry of Justice website.

The list details payments made to advocates and litigators in the financial year 2007/08.

Legal aid is a vital service that helps people in times of real need, which is why the government remains committed to ensuring it is available to all those who need it most. On its 60th anniversary, legal aid continues to help more than 2 million people each year. The UK spends more per head on legal aid than any other country.

Legal aid has been one of the fastest growing areas of public sector spending over the last 25 years, increasing at an annual average rate of 5.7% to around ?2 billion today (as much as is spent on the Prison Service). This rate of increase in spending is not sustainable, which is why the Ministry of Justice and Legal Services Commission are taking forward a range of reforms that have put legal aid expenditure on a sustainable level and allocated resources where it is most needed.

We are working with the professions to ensure those most in need of help continue to receive appropriate assistance at a cost that is fair to practitioners and fair to the taxpayer.

It is important that the lists are read in the correct context to understand fully what the figures represent. The figures are inclusive of VAT (17.5%) and represent payments to a range of individuals involved in work of this nature, such wages for caseworkers, support staff and other overheads to be met.

They may also cover a number of cases spread over several years

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