UK Criminal Barristers Strike for Pay Increase

An independent review of the future of the system, ordered by the government, told ministers they needed to increase funding by at least 15 percent to prevent a major crisis.

UK Criminal Barristers Strike for Pay Increase

Eight out of 10 defense barristers, many of whom say that they cannot make a living anymore, voted for the walkouts amid concerns the government will not improve a proposed increase in criminal Legal Aid, reports the BBC. An independent review of the future of the system, ordered by the government, concluded funding needed to increase  by at least 15 percent to prevent a major crisis.  Judges will be forced to delay hearings and put back trials. The latest figures, up to April 2022, show there were 358,076 outstanding cases at magistrates’ courts and 58,271 at crown courts, with victims of rape and other serious sexual offenses waiting the longest for prosecutions to be completed.