Statement on CBA ballot

On 12 June 2018, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) announced the result of the ballot of its members on whether to accept the government’s offer of additional investment in the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS) and bring an end to the action which began on 1 April 2018 when the reformed scheme came into operation. 51.55% voted to accept the government’s offer.

The chair of the CBA, Angela Rafferty QC, said the government’s proposal is “the beginning and not the end of our campaign to improve the broken system we all work in every day”, and that “the fact we have achieved this small gain shows that we as a profession are both capable and motivated to unite, and unite we will of things do not continue to change in the near future”.

Young Legal Aid Lawyers (YLAL) now calls for unity amongst all members of the legal profession – between barristers, solicitors, legal executives and their representative bodies – following the outcome of the CBA ballot. We believe that meaningful reform can only be achieved by the profession working together and moving forward as a united front.

Read our full statement below.