“Lack of certainty that cases will start at all, and that there will be no reimbursement at all for the hours of work”@TheCriminalBar

“lack of certainty that cases will start at all, and that there will be no reimbursement

at all for the hours of work preparing the case is also a major factor which reduces the

numbers of those who are willing to undertake this work. Criminal barristers have a choice.

Many are turning away from these cases altogether.”

Chair Mary Prior KC

“The figures show that the overall shortage of prosecution barristers is worsening, albeit gradually.

A lack of prosecution counsel accounted for 537 of the 903 ineffective trials of all offences over the

first nine months of last year, compared with 531 in the same period of 2023. Ineffective trials are

those that fail to proceed through any form of inaction from either the defence or prosecution and are

therefore required to be relisted.

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