Criminal Bar Association Announces Day Of Action

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has balloted members on service withdrawal in response to the unprecedented and worsening delays in barristers receiving payment for work completed under the publicly funded Criminal Legal Aid system.

As a result of this ballot, starting with an initial day of action in November 2023, all criminal barristers will stage a day of action across all Criminal Courts in Northern Ireland.

A Bar of Northern Ireland spokesperson said:

“The Bar of Northern Ireland has over many months called for urgent action from the Department of Justice (DoJ) to avoid such action taking place. The Bar has highlighted that the public policy of speeding up justice and increasing throughput requires an increased budget. However, to date no tangible solutions have been offered by the DoJ.

“The Department’s policy of delaying payment for work done means that dedicated and skilled lawyers are having to wait for up to six months for payment after completing their work. These delays are exacerbating the difficulties caused by reductions in Legal Aid rates which, when adjusting for inflation, have plummeted by between 47% - 58% since 2005.

“Criminal barristers are committed professionals who work on the most serious and difficult of cases. The criminal justice system depends on these lawyers to apply their time and skill in the best interests of their clients and broader society. The barristers who provide these legal services in Northern Ireland are often facing intolerable cashflow pressures that their counterparts in other UK regions do not have to endure.

“It is a matter of regret that, as part of a range of measures to be taken in response to this crisis in our Legal Aid system, criminal barristers have felt compelled to consider a withdrawal of their services”.

ENDS

Media Contact

Sinead McIvor – 07701 302 498