View from the gravy train

A View From the Gravy Train is a new blog showcasing anonymous “a day in the life” stories submitted by legal aid lawyers. The purpose is to dispel the myth that legal aid lawyers are getting fat off legal aid.
 
For some time we have been concerned that the current round of cuts to legal aid are being justified by a misrepresentation of legal aid lawyers as “fat-cats” in the media. For too long, legal aid has been portrayed as a “gravy train” for overpaid lawyers, milking the system at the taxpayers expense.

YLAL wants to set the record straight. In our experience the majority who pursue a career in legal aid do so because they are motivated by the desire to help clients in a time of crisis. We know from our members that legal aid is not a lucrative career but one of large debts, long hours and job insecurity. A View From the Gravy Train shows the reality of life as a legal aid lawyer: often lawyers work 12 hour days for under £25,000pa. Our blog also shows the importance of the work legal aid lawyers carry out for vulnerable clients by, for example, representing people with disabilities to challenge discrimination or by preventing families from being made homeless. Click here to take a look at the view from the gravy train.

Help challenge the stereotyping of legal aid lawyers as fat cats! Follow the blog on Twitter at @YLAL_GravyTrain and share the link with your friends: viewfromthegravytrain.wordpress.com

If you are a legal aid lawyer, trainee, pupil, or paralegal, please take 5 minutes to help our campaign by submitting your own “a day in the life” story to be published on our blog.
 
YLAL firmly believes the cuts to legal aid will have a devastating impact on access to justice for vulnerable people. To read anonymous case studies about what legal aid lawyers achieve for their clients, check out our sister blog Thanks to Legal Aid and follow @Thanks2LegalAid.
 
To find out more about the cuts to legal aid, check out our guide “Legal aid cuts: where are we now“.