Dominic Raab wants to end the almost complete dominance of lawyers in crown court proceedings.
Given that criminal defence barristers are now on an indefinite strike, it is believed that the Justice Secretary is looking at methods to allow other attorneys to fill in.
Extending the number of solicitors permitted to appear in crown court is one suggestion said to be under discussion.
The Ministry of Justice is considering broadening the rights of audience for solicitor advocates, who have been allowed to speak before judges since 1990.
In England and Wales, there are 157,000 solicitors practising in all fields of law, compared to 16,000 barristers.
The MoJ also wants to give legal executives more responsibilities so they may take on tasks now handled by other kinds of attorneys.
The Public Defender Service, which enables offenders to be defended by paid attorneys rather than independent barristers, will also be expanded in the long run as a result of this.
Mr. Raab said that the planned strikes were “holding justice to ransom” in an essay published in the Mail yesterday.
We’re fortunate to have a diverse variety of legal skill in this nation, according to a government source.
As a result, “we are aiming to offer more lawyers greater rights of audience to widen the job they can undertake,” adding that “we are also looking to raise the number of legal executives, who frequently come from less affluent backgrounds, and expand the Public Defender Service.”
Most costs paid to barristers supported by legal aid will rise by 15% starting on September 30th, the MoJ has previously confirmed.
But the Criminal Bar Association has asked for a 25% increase, retroactive to take into account the 59,000 case backlog in England and Wales.
The government source said, “A 15% wage boost is a significant offer, at £7,000 for the typical lawyer.
Any additional funding beyond that would need to come from the MoJ budget for victims’ assistance, jail security, or criminal rehabilitation.
After years of financial reductions and cutbacks, the CBA maintains that the strike is vital to increase junior barristers’ compensation and retain them in the system.