Criminal barristers on £58,000 ‘are paid poorly’, says QC

CRIMINAL barristers typically earning a £58,000 salary are ‘paid incredibly poorly’ in relation to the volume of work they do, a city lawyer has said.

Michelle Heeley QC (pictured) said barristers worked 50-hour weeks as ‘standard’ adding it was ‘no surprise’ they were leaving the bar at a time the pandemic had exacerbated existing pressure on case loads.

The leader of Midlands Circuit, who is from Erdington, reacted to recent figures revealing criminal prosecution delays had hit 708 days for the average time it takes from offence to the completion of the case – up by 15 per cent in the three months to September last year.

Ms Heeley, a barrister at No5 Barristers’ Chambers, said she was ‘appalled’ at the statistics, describing them as ‘an unforgivable failing to victims, defendants, legal professionals, as well as the British public’.

She added: “The impact this delay has is monumental. During this waiting period, there is significant pressure on all parties. Victims are left without justice and witnesses memories begin to fade, which can have serious repercussions when they are called to testify. Although the pandemic has exacerbated the issue, practitioners have been warning the Government about the growing delay and the ever-increasing crown court backlog for several years.”

Currently there is a backlog of around 60,000 crown court prosecutions. Recently the Ministry of Justice announced Magistrates sentencing powers would be increased from six months to 12 months for a single offence in a move estimated to free up to 2,000 crown court days a year.

They also highlighted other measures such as setting up Nightingale Courtrooms, ‘super courtrooms’ for large trials and virtual courtrooms.

Ms Heeley said the average salary for those starting out up to senior juniors was £58,000.

She urged the Government to heed recommendations in a recent

report concerning the lack of judges and ‘low pay rates for criminal barristers’ adding: “There is no short-term solution for this problem.

“Although Nightingale Courts and Super Courts have been opened to help tackle the backlog, we are past the point of no return.

“It’s of no surprise many criminal barristers are choosing to leave the bar. They are paid incredibly poorly for the time-consuming work that they do, and the pressure placed on them by these ever-growing numbers is a contributing factor to our dwindling numbers.”