Is publicly funded criminal defence sustainable? Legal aid cuts, morale, retention and recruitment in the English criminal law professions

Thornton, J ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7847-5696, 2020. Is publicly funded criminal defence sustainable? Legal aid cuts, morale, retention and recruitment in the English criminal law professions. Legal Studies. ISSN 0261-3875

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Abstract

This article examines how continued reductions in fee levels for criminal legal aid work affect recruitment and retention in the English publicly funded criminal defence profession. Data from 29 qualitative interviews with English defence solicitors and barristers are analysed to explore the impact of these reductions on recruitment of new lawyers and retention of current lawyers. On the basis of these findings, also building on research conducted by lawyer professional associations, I argue that a combination of cuts to legal aid, the resulting working patterns and low morale has led to a position where the criminal defence profession, as we know it, is unsustainable.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Legal Studies
Creators:	Thornton, J.
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Date:	13 January 2020
ISSN:	0261-3875
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1017/lst.2019.31 DOI 1241429 Other
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Law School
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	02 Dec 2019 10:20
Last Modified:	30 Jan 2020 15:37
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/38676

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