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The Hamilton Bar met today to discuss the weekend courts proposal. We voted not to participate in weekend courts. The vote was unanimous. https://twitter.com/scottishlegal/status/1296449207176437760
I was the only solicitor in the room today under the age of 30. There isn’t a single criminal trainee at Hamilton just now. Women were outnumbered more than 5:1. The vast majority were over the age of 50. The demographics of the profession are a major problem.
The legal aid fees regime is so unrealistic that almost all of my generation have left criminal defence. Very few traineeships are advertised but even fewer NQs choose to remain practising criminal legal aid after qualifying.
SLAB and ScotGov ignore the impact that their policy has on the diversity of the profession. If this was any other area of public expenditure, it would be a national scandal but it is tolerated for legal aid as the overriding objective is for justice to be cheap.
There will be a massive skills shortage in the justice system in the next decade and the government- encouraged by SLAB- are complacent. Young lawyers must already accept lower pay and offering a 24/7 service to clients and police without also...
Having to sacrifice our weekend as well. It is completely unacceptable. There are serious implications for the mental health of the profession if weekend courts are introduced. What thought have SCTS given to that point?
The profession has been given absolutely no financial support from SLAB or ScotGov during lockdown (in contrast to dentists, teachers and doctors) and it is inevitable that job losses will arise as a result of this
Job losses will disproportionately affect the few young lawyers who remain in criminal defence which will compound the demographic timebomb that the profession has repeatedly warned of.
The profession has been treated with contempt and the line in the sand must now be drawn. No ifs, no buts, no weekend courts.
