Bar Council Chair #DonalLunny KC has described the Criminal Bar Association’s escalation of withdrawal of services. @TheBarofNI

Bar Council Chair Donal Lunny KC has described the Criminal Bar Association’s escalation of

withdrawal of services in all legally aided Crown Court cases as “regrettable but inevitable” given

the context where, despite increased workload and complexity, fees have not been increased for 20 years.

He continued:”This action was not undertaken lightly. The Department of Justice has received independent

advice on actions that would help to address the unsustainable crisis in the Crown Court.

It has chosen instead to select proposed reforms which will exacerbate these intolerable pressures.

We urge the Department to address the issues that have prompted the escalation and to

re-evaluate the direction of its Legal Aid reform programme.”

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