A BARNSLEY solicitor fears there will be 'no such thing' as a defence solicitor in the next few years as worsening legal aid cuts continue to bite.
Phil Stables says dozens of people are already appearing before Barnsley Magistrates' Court underrepresented and cuts to the duty solicitor scheme will put scores of legal firms out of business and leave people to fend for themselves before the courts.
"Our concern is for our own jobs - I've got a mortgage, a wife and family like everybody else. But we're also concerned that the people of Barnsley who have been accused of things they have not done will not have legal representation.
"I can be representing murderers, rapists, people accused of crimes against children, and potentially these cuts will mean people like me are asked to do this for £12,0000 or £15,000 a year."
** The full story appears in the Barnsley Chronicle, dated July 10. **
