“The only people who benefit from lawsuits are lawyers. I think we made a couple of them rich.” Gavin Rossdale
Taking pot shots at the legal profession will probably never go out of fashion, but the perception of the “fat cat” lawyer with no concern for those less fortunate is an injustice. The annual London legal walk is just one example of the profession’s charitable work, and this year it was more successful than ever.
Each year, thousands of solicitors, barristers and support professionals take part in a 10 kilometre sponsored walk around the city to raise money towards free legal services. This year, with legal aid reforms threatening to take away representation from many of those who need it most, the cause is perhaps more high profile and worthy than ever.
The 2012 walk raised £540,000, but on May 20th that figure was surpassed, as 482 teams and a total of 7,500 legal professionals gave up their time to raise an estimated £575,000.
A total of 70 organisations will benefit directly, including Citizens’ Advice Bureaux, refuges for abused women and centres for housing and immigration advice. While this event is in many ways the centrepiece of the profession’s fund raising work (described by former Lord Chief Justice Baron Phillips of Worth Matravers as “the social and sporting event of the legal calendar”) it is far from the only example. Similar walks are taking place in Brighton, Canterbury, Hastings, Eastbourne, Guildford and Newbury. Other events include triathlons and even skydiving.
This month has seen lawyers take to the street not only to raise money but also in protest. On May 22nd, just two days after the sponsored walk around the city, hundreds of lawyers demonstrated outside Parliament at government plans to cut legal aid. Proposals to slash £220 million from the criminal legal aid budget and take away a defendant’s right to select their legal representative have raised the spectre of false economy and administrative chaos.
Bearing a coffin marked “RIP Legal Aid”, an estimated five hundred lawyers gave voice to fears that this important service might be put in the hands of the lowest bidder. A similar experiment with courtroom interpreting services has proved to be a dramatic failure. While this may not have deterred the government, it has deterred and energised the legal profession to make a stand against measures perceived by many to be deeply damaging and fundamentally unjust.
Lord Dyson, current Master of the Rolls, spoke for many in the profession when he hailed the spirit and the impact of the London legal walk:
“The recession has increased the need for the charities’ work while reducing the resources available to them. So let’s all do our best in the next week to raise as much as we can and make the walk a resounding success.”
So much for the image of uncaring fat cats. Legal professionals are standing up for what they believe to be right and literally walking the extra mile.
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