Barristers vote on legal action

Criminal barristers have voted for direct action on legal aid reforms, such as “no returns” and “days of action”. In a survey of the Criminal Bar Association’s (CBA) 4,000 members, 96% urged the CBA to take action to press the government over its proposals for the Dual Provider Scheme under which work is split into two contracts, “own client work” and duty provider work. Tony Cross, CBA chairman, says: “The proposed changes have no sensible economic foundation and will lead to irreversible damage to the criminal justice system. The proposed scheme will reduce competition, stifle innovation and paralyse the market as it becomes closed to new entrants.”