Barristers: Criminal Law

(asked on 2nd November 2021) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to encourage junior barristers to specialise in criminal law.


Answered by
James Cartlidge Portrait
James Cartlidge
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This question was answered on 10th November 2021

Criminal defence lawyers play a crucial role in upholding the rule of law and ensuring access to justice is maintained, and the Government greatly values the work they do.

As part of the Criminal Legal Aid Review, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) worked with the Bar Council and other stakeholders to combine key datasets which were summarised in a published Data compendium. This data shows that, in 2019-20, of the barristers who carried out some publicly-funded criminal work and reported themselves as specialising in crime, 87% were junior barristers and 13% were QCs (Table 5.13).

Sir Christopher Bellamy QC is leading an independent review of the criminal legal aid market, seeking to ensure it is sustainable into the future. Supporting a diverse workforce and ensuring a pipeline of new entrants and career progression within the professions is an objective within the review’s Terms of Reference. I understand the review is close to completing and the Government aims to publish Sir Christopher's report together with its response as soon as possible.

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