Lockdown Lawyers is an anthology of how the COVID-19 crisis has hit legal aid lawyers, edited by Emma Trevett, paralegal at Irwin Mitchell, and Jon Whitfield QC, Doughty Street. It includes more than 50 contributions from solicitors, barristers, advisors and some of their family members.
The
poems cover crime, mental health, remote working, the near collapse of the
justice system and the lockdown. Published by Legal Action Group, it can be
order on the LAG website, www.lag.org.uk.
Trevett
said: ‘Lockdown Lawyers has seen legal aid lawyers from all over the
country come together to create something positive and remarkable during these
unprecedented times.
‘Legal
aid lawyers work tirelessly to help vulnerable clients. We have survived
numerous cuts over the decades. The challenges we face alongside our clients
during the pandemic are evident throughout this collection.’
Whitfield
said: ‘How has the publicly funded legal system survived this pandemic at all,
given it has endured decades of cuts matched only by huge increases in expense
and workload?
‘As
I pondered on this and read the contributions, I realised the answer is simple.
It is the lawyers that work themselves to a standstill to keep a broken system
going. It is typical of legal aid lawyers that despite the endless worry of
practice, multiplied by the pandemic they still find time to support each
other, smile, be creative and say “we are still here!”’
