Decades of political lies about legal aid have masked the truth of a justice system crumbling under repeated cuts
According to the justice secretary, Dominic Raab, like thousands of my fellow criminal barristers I am taking part in an “unnecessary and irresponsible strike” that will “cause delays for victims and the wider public”.
This comes as something of a surprise to me. It’s an odd sort of “strike”, given that we are, as usual, dragging ourselves across the country to crown courts far and wide, defending and prosecuting our fellow citizens by day, and drowning in unpaid paperwork by night. We will continue to work 80 hours a week representing our clients, and will continue to accept instructions in new cases, foregoing our families and our health in our efforts to keep our breaking, backlogged, starved justice system creaking onwards.
The writer is a junior barrister who writes anonymously about the English and Welsh legal system, and is the author of The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It’s Broken. A version of this piece first appeared on their blog
