Ch4 News

Solicitors and Barristers pleading poverty. Talking of strike action as they say they are poorly paid.
Sorry but I refuse to believe this.
Anytime I’ve had to employ the services of a solicitor it has cost me quite a bit of money.
TBH I don’t think I’ve ever seen a poor solicitor.

 

Maybe true for many areas of law Ian, but not for criminal practitioners at the lower end. But I'm quite sure you've never had to use a criminal lawyer?

 

No comment.

 

It’s all part of the plan of the ruling elite to deny the poor representation in Court , legal aid in criminal matters has been slashed over the years making it not worthwhile for a lot of barristers to deal with it . Young people entering the legal profession avoid criminal work and go into other more lucrative sectors.

 

Get a different job then. It's easy, everyone does it to get by

 

After 5 years of specific education and training for a prestigious profession? Aye mint idea.

 

Don't then, put up with your lot. Alternatively do something else and get by like most other people

 

I must admit I thought the same initially but on learning more, I understand the problems.

The main issue is that pay rates for newly qualified Barristers are so low as to be effectively illegal. Some are earning £12k per year and after preparation time this equates to less than minimum wage. Of course, it's pricing kids from working class families (who have already had to work harder and sacrifice more) out of the profession as their parents can't afford to support them.

Hopefully @BarTyke may come along to give us a perspective from the ground.

 

It really is very difficult to get offered a contract to be a Barrister and the costs to get there are expensive with no guarantee of a job at the end of it, and criminal law pays the least. Its ok saying go do something else or work in a different area but if everyone has that attitude then there's no one to run the criminal justice system.

 

Thanks goodness this country has highly committed nurses, doctors and teachers who put up with their incredibly pressured and often underpaid lot to keep these essential services running.

 

Check out the secret barrister on Twitter. Apparently many barristers earn less than £12k a year and actually make a loss on plenty of the cases they handle. Standard fees, the rates for which haven’t changed for many years, sometimes not even covering the train fare to court. Obviously there are some very wealthy ones too, but plenty seem to be barely making a living. On top of government cuts to court funding creating massive backlogs and many leaving the profession, no wonder they’re peed off.

It is very surprising to discover this, admittedly..

 

So wrong. Such a glib statement.
Why not make sure everyone gets a decent standard of living.

where the **** would we be without people taking typical low paid jobs. ( up creek without a paddle ) No carers. Shop workers. Nurses the list is endless. People who do the work most of us wouldn't go near but are totally necessary. Including solicitors.

 

Junior barrister starts on 12k ...

 

I agree, I'm married to one, my mother was one and my daughter is training to be one. Its their choice to take that kind of job that I couldn't do, though as you say underpaid by this scum in charge and labour before them. Take the job on the terms or move on and do something else, they're not in guantanamo Bay, the choice is theirs and they choose helping people

 

And here was me thinking BarTyke was a regular of Chennels.

 

FFS

 

This.

 

Is that beyond the wit of man?

 

No.

 

Would they do it for nowt. I bet they'd be thrilled with you telling em to go get another job. Instead of making sure we get them the pay they deserve.