Lawyers in the North East are refusing to pick up last-minute cases in protest at government cuts they say have left our courts in chaos.
On April 11 action by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) which will see defence lawyers reject "return" cases began, after 94% of the body's members voted to "withdraw their goodwill" in a bid to force the Government to up legal aid fees.
Criminal cases are often returned by barristers unable to cover them as ongoing trials run over or face delays. Ordinarily, their colleagues will agree to cover these, often working long hours at the last minute to get up to speed on the details. But, as of this week, those cases won't be heard.
