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Exodus of legal-aid lawyers putting the fairness of the justice system at risk, MPs warn
Numbers of lawyers drastically reduced since government cut £750m from legal-aid budget in 2012
Lady Justice
[WilliamCho/Creative Commons]
AN EXODUS of legal-aid lawyers triggered by two decades of low pay is putting the fairness of the justice system at risk, MPs warned today.
Legal firms are facing difficulties retaining defence lawyers, with a significant number switching to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), a report by the Commons justice committee found.
Lawyers’ fees were drastically reduced as part of huge legal-aid cuts introduced in 2012, slashing the budget by £750 million.
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