ORCID: 0000-0002-7842-1812
PhD thesis
The aim of this thesis is to assess how effective the recent criminal legal aid (CLA) fee reforms are likely to be at increasing the number of younger solicitors opting to specialise in this sector. This is achieved by examining whether the CLA fee reforms address the key attributes of specialising as a CLA solicitor in England and Wales that influence aspiring solicitors' decisions to pursue (or not pursue) this career, through the lens of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Utilising a cross-sectional design, survey data is gathered from 525 aspiring solicitors across various English and Welsh universities and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM).
The findings corroborate a TPB-informed theoretical model, revealing that aspiring solicitors’ behavioural and control beliefs significantly predicted their attitudes and perceived control over specialising in CLA, which in turn influenced their intentions to specialise as CLA solicitors. Key job attributes influencing these attitudes and perceptions included salaries that were inadequate for repaying student loans and in relation to the workload, long and unsociable hours, lower salaries in comparison to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and insufficient training opportunities, including the absence of funded SQE qualifications. Furthermore, a general unfamiliarity with the role of a criminal defence solicitor and the hiring practices of CLA firms contributed to attributes associated with the legal specialism that would make it more difficult to enter the profession. These findings suggest that the recent £90 million fee increases are unlikely to effectively address the concerns of aspiring solicitors. As a result, the reforms may fail to encourage more younger practitioners to specialise in this field. Consequently, there is a significant risk that there will not be enough CLA solicitors to meet the upcoming demand for their services, which could undermine the minimum rights and entitlements of eligible suspects and defendants set out in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). However, this risk could be mitigated by implementing additional reforms that enable firms to offer salaries during training and upon qualification that are on par with those in the CPS. These salaries should also be sufficient to account for the workload and hours worked and should include provisions for student loan repayment. Moreover, if CLA firms had the financial resources to support training opportunities, cover qualification fees, and offer two-week vacation schemes or work experience placements, it would further strengthen the recruitment of younger practitioners.
Journal Articles
This article investigates the growing age imbalance in the duty solicitor scheme in England and Wales, where the majority of duty solicitors are aged 45 and over, and only 8% are under 34. Drawing on original quantitative data from a pilot survey of 193 aspiring solicitors, it explores whether the cost of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination is acting as a financial barrier to specialisation in criminal legal aid. The findings demonstrate a clear link between the level of Solicitors Qualifying Examination fee funding and the perceived ease of entering the criminal legal aid sector. Full or substantial funding was widely viewed as an enabler, while lack of funding was consistently identified as a barrier, particularly among working-class respondents and those most committed to specialising in criminal legal aid. The article argues that the Ministry of Justice’s failure to implement training grants, despite recommendations from the Independent Criminal Legal Aid Review, is likely contributing to the ageing profile of the duty solicitor workforce. This has serious implications for access to justice and the sustainability of criminal defence provision. The study calls for urgent policy reform to restore generational diversity and ensure the long-term viability of the duty solicitor scheme.
Sept 2025. Funding barriers and the decline of young criminal defence solicitors
Under Review
Septemeber 2025. Factors influencing aspiring solicitors in England and Wales to specialise in Criminal Legal Aid: A Theory of Planned Behaviour elicitation study.
This study explores factors influencing aspiring solicitors’ decisions to specialise in criminal legal aid in England and Wales, helping explain the sector’s shrinking intake of graduates.
Septemeber 2025. Why don’t younger solicitors choose criminal legal aid? insights from the Theory of Planned Behaviour
This study applies the Theory of Planned Behaviour to examine the job attributes shaping aspiring solicitors’ decisions not to specialise in criminal legal aid in England and Wales after graduation.
In Preparation
News Outlets
Oct 2025.
Lack of SQE funding turning aspiring lawyers away from criminal law
Lack of training grants “increases risk” of duty solicitor collapse
Fears for future of justice as Exeter study finds duty solicitors nearing retirement
Duty solicitor generational mismatch risks eroding trust in the criminal justice system, study warns
Duty solicitor generational mismatch risks eroding trust in the criminal justice system, study warns
UK research warns of trust erosion in criminal justice system