‘It has harmful consequences,’ Bindman writes. ‘The starvation of legal aid and the underfunding of the courts and their administration undermines the rule of law and the citizen’s fundamental right of equal access to justice.’
The imbalance complicates litigation costs, spinning off a whole separate sector of specialist expertise. It has been the subject of judicial concern. And no doubt clients have a view too.
Bindman explores why some lawyers bill such hefty sums, and whether they charge too much. He asks whether Michael Gove’s suggestion of a levy on City firms to help pay for legal aid should be revisited: maybe it’s time to share the proceeds? After all, high-rolling lawyers derive their status from the integrity of the profession as a whole, and without the input of the legal aid and social justice lawyer, there would be less integrity on which to base their lucrative fee.
