Barrister numbers plummeted during Covid-19 as earnings dropped 23 per cent
The Bar Council has said urgent investment is needed to “keep the criminal justice system afloat” after publishing new data showing barristers suffered heavily during Covid-19.
The total number of barristers working in full-time publicly funded positions dropped by more than 10 per cent from 2,670 in 2019-20 to 2,400 in 2020-21, the Bar Council said, as it claimed the global pandemic had made the problems facing the profession worse.
“Many barristers are burnt out and need a break from the relentless amount of work they are doing,” Mark Fenhalls QC, chair of the Bar Council said.
“Criminal legal work is incredibly challenging. The new data published today suggests that barristers will look for alternatives to criminal work whenever they can.”
The drop in the number of barristers has caused the Bar to become less diverse, as the number of black barristers dropped by 18 per cent and the number of Asian barristers fell by 17 per cent.
Barristers’ annual income dropped by almost a quarter (23 per cent) during the pandemic, from averages of £61,000 a year in 2019-20 to £47,000 a year in 2020-21.
The Bar Council’s figures also showed that 83 per cent of barristers used their own money to fund their practices during the pandemic.
At the same time, 27 per cent of barristers took on personal debt of more than £20,000 to keep their practices going during Covid-19.
“The Bar Council has consistently said that both solicitors and barristers need an urgent injection of money immediately, a minimum of 15% as recommended by Sir Christopher Bellamy,” Fenhalls QC said.
“This is essential funding to keep the criminal justice system afloat, and so that victims, complainants, witnesses and defendants do not need to wait years for trials to take place.”