Barristers dominate new advisory council

Michael Gove’s new advisory council which he promised to establish when scrapping the criminal legal aid contract system has been revealed.

One of the main findings is that barristers will outnumber solicitors nearly two to one on the body, something which has been condemned by the Law Society.

The Society has publicly expressed concerns that this imbalance will make the body unrepresentative and will therefore not fully reflect the diversity of the legal profession.

Gove stated that the new council would allow him to fully “explore how we can reduce unnecessary bureaucratic costs, eliminate waste and end continuing abuses within the current legal aid system.”

Gary Bell, QC, has been appointed as the chair of the council, and he said that they will “consider all matters affecting efficiency, delay and waste within the system and make recommendations to the lord chancellor as to how best they can be eliminated,” in a recent interview with the Gazette.

However, Jonathan Smithers, President of the Law Society, stated that he was extremely disappointed by the makeup of the new body. “There is no representation from Wales, and no attempt to balance experience in urban, market town and rural areas. It is dominated by barristers when the majority of criminal defence work is carried out by solicitors,” he said.

“We are concerned that the members of this group will not have the day-to-day experience of routine criminal practice that is supposed to be the focus of the council’s work and it is unclear whether issues of diversity have been considered.”

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