Statement by LCCSA President Hesham Puri
Voting with our Feet

 The Criminal Bar is going ‘all out’ this week.

In the week a new Prime Minister takes over, you won’t have missed they are walking out of criminal courts across England and Wales indefinitely.  As an Association, we stand together with barristers in their action. The broken justice system our colleagues are fighting to fix is the same one we have spent too long propping up.

As solicitors, we have taken different action: voting with our feet.

The Law Society found that the number of duty solicitors serving magistrates courts and police stations has significantly decreased with the new October rota. Dropping from 4,222 on the current rota to 3,825 The number of firms willing to do the work has decreased to 964 on the current rota compared to 1,019 in the April 2022 to October 2022 rota.

As if that’s not worrying enough, as well as pre-charge and court delays, legal aid deserts are becoming a reality. Under the new crime contracts, a solicitor attending under the duty solicitor scheme to Barnstaple police station in rural North Devon face a round trip of 3 hours.

We represent solicitors in London, serving magistrates’ courts and police stations in the capital but it’s no exaggeration to say a similar crisis is headed our way as firms buckle under financial strain and professionals – who are people after all! - burnout.

When I addressed a packed Conway Hall in Spring, I talked about our profession as a dying breed, with a real prospect of extinction (only 4% of criminal legal aid solicitors are under 35) Sadly, recent figures back up my grim prediction but it didn’t have to be this way.

Lord Bellamy QC (now government minister) prescribed his cure for legal aid –which he described as being ‘in a parlous state’.

However, the government thought it could get away with justice on the cheap, with an insulting bargain increase of 9%. The Justice Secretary under a new Prime Minister must face up to facts, legal aid solicitors need: 

• 25% increase on fees attached to new contracts (starting in October) including all Crown Court work

• A strategic plan to attract young solicitors and regenerate our ageing profession

• structured pay review.   

It’s important as professionals to remember attrition and delays have a dire impact on everyone in our justice system – victims left in limbo; suspects and defendants face miscarriages of justice; the public lose confidence in justice.

Our Association members have taken action in London courts too, refusing to take on low-paid burglary and stalking and harassment cases. We’ve balloted members on escalated action, including a mass walkout.  We have so far been unable to do so because of the risks of breaching our contracts and the financial responsibilities we are all under. Rest assured; we remain committed to creating a viable future for our justice system.

What we’re doing:

•  Calling for a meeting with the Justice Secretary and minister

• Collaborating with Law Society and CLSA

• Lobbying MPs and policy makers including opposition party

• A Day of Justice in October

• Listening to you! Thank you for all your thoughts and support.

In media interviews, including The Times,  Evening Standard and Guardian we’ve been making the case to the public.

I forecast our profession has 5 years of life in it, 5 years to be saved.

As long as I am President I will continue to fight for our future.

Hesham Puri

LCCSA President