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A leading Liverpool solicitor warned government cuts would leave lawyers facing a “crushing burden” of extra hours and reduced fees to represent clients - and rejected claims they were “legal aid fat cats”.

From the start of this month solicitors and barristers have refused to take on legal-aid funded cases – those cases where people who can’t afford legal advice are given help to pay for it – in a Merseyside-led nationwide strike.

The move came in response to an 8.75% government reduction on publicly funded legal aid budgets which came into force on Wednesday, bringing the total reduction to 17.5% following a cut by the same amount last year.

Criminal barristers in England and Wales have now voted for industrial action to support solicitors taking the action.

'Further swingeing cuts'

Julian Linskill, founder of Castle Street-based Linskills Solicitors, said the issue was not about fees, but the ability to carry out all the work needed to support defendants.

He said: “We are also all aware of further swingeing cuts to be introduced by the Government next year.

“No research has yet been undertaken by the Ministry of Justice to assess the impact of these cuts on the ability of criminal law firms to survive or to have the necessary funding to properly advise defendants and represent them at court.

“Despite disinformation about “Legal aid fat cats” this is not about lawyers’ fees but about the ability of criminal lawyers both solicitors and at the Bar to have sufficient funding in criminal cases to carry out all the functions expected of them including the gathering of evidence, the raising of issues, advising the clients and ultimately representing either in the magistrates or the crown court, whether on a plea of guilty or at trial.

“We have all become exceedingly concerned as to whether we are able, without accepting an increasingly crushing burden of increased hours and reduced fees in order to deal with the ever increasing volume of change in the criminal law and properly represent our clients.

“This unprecedented action is being taken by both branches of the profession because as things stand we are convinced we are no longer in a position to do so and that as a consequence great damage is being done by an uncaring Government to the rule of law.”

Lawyers say their protest is already having an impact, with poor and vulnerable people left without legal advice because the solicitors are refusing to do legal aid work.

They believe the cuts to the amount they are paid for taking on legal aid cases will force many law firms to close and cause massive problems in the justice system.

The government says the cuts are needed to create a system of criminal legal aid that delivers value for money to taxpayers.