The Criminal Bar Association (CBA), which represents lawyers in England and Wales, announced the union action after a vote by members. The planned action comes at a time of significant backlog in the courts, which are said to concern 58,271 cases. Lawyers are the latest profession to go on strike as railway workers take action this week amid reports of unrest between teaching staff and NHS employers. The CBA said 81.5% of the more than 2,000 respondents supported industrial action. Joe Sidhu QC and Kirsty Brimelow QC of the CBA said: criminals and the criminal justice system that depends so much on their work. “Without immediate action to stop the flight of criminal lawyers from our ranks, the record accumulation that has crippled our courts will continue to cause misery to both victims and defendants and the public will be betrayed.” The strike is expected to last four weeks, starting on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 June, increasing by one day each week to a five-day strike from Monday 18 July to Friday 22 July. It means that cases in which lawyers are required will probably have to be postponed, including in the crown courts. Lawyers are expected to strike outside the courts, including Old Bailey in London and Crown Courts in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds and Manchester. In April, the CBA began refusing to carry out “return work” – intervening in court hearings and other work for colleagues whose cases are over – described as a gesture of goodwill to support the judiciary. The CBA said it had also made “repeated attempts” to persuade the government to comply with the recommendations of the criminal justice review to immediately increase its pay by 15%, but was disappointed. Lawyers have warned that the criminal justice system is in crisis after a 43% drop in real terms in the legal aid budget from 2004-05. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am While ministers have announced a proposed package of salary changes and increases following an independent hearing by former judge Sir Christopher Bellamy, lawyers say there should be an immediate increase in their salaries. The CBA has claimed that many of its members have been forced to leave the penal bar after falling almost 30% in revenue over the past two decades. He says specialist criminal lawyers have an average annual income after spending 12 12,200 in the first three years of internship. Officials say absences from Covid-19 have worsened the numbers, but Chief Justice Lord Burnett of Maldon told the House of Lords constitutional committee last month that the judiciary was struggling with declining numbers. advocates of criminals.
