Younger duty solicitors should be celebrated

Keen to begin this year with a feel-good news story, I reported on the news that Chloe Young, of Gamlins Law, had become accredited as a duty solicitor at the age of 30.

Criminal legal aid lawyers have long feared for the future of their sector due to the dwindling number of duty solicitors under 35. So, to hear that a young solicitor was joining the ranks – it made a nice change to write a positive criminal legal aid story. Also, I recall attending a roundtable discussion where an academic urged lawyers, when speaking to law students, not to be so negative about a career in criminal legal aid. Yes, the pay isn’t great, but let's not put people off completely given the job is rewarding in other ways.

Sadly, that memo didn’t reach all our readers.

Young mentioned that when she told colleagues and solicitors in court about her ambitions, they were encouraging. One ‘anonymous’ commenter said: ‘I can’t believe that the criminal hacks didn’t tell her to go for a taxi licence or anything anywhere from the job she’s chosen. Madness.’

Another ‘anonymous’ commenter said: ‘My dearest Chloe, as somebody who has recently left criminal duty work, I will think of you driving from Holyhead to Bangor late at night and then on other occasions to Carnarvon and then even as far as Bala and Pwlhelli. All for 35,000 per year if you are lucky. Once you have a family and responsibilities, you will find that it is simply impossible.’

Some of the negative comments prompted Patrick Geddes, head of the criminal department at Allington Hughes Law, to get in touch. 

Geddes told me his firm had been extremely fortunate to recruit and retain younger members of staff in his department. Pierce Blythen, 28, became duty accredited last year. Charlotte Cooper, 25, had just qualified as a criminal solicitor, recently passed her Higher Rights of Audience and was in the process of becoming duty accredited. The firm had also taken on 22-year-old Rhian Jennings, a trainee police station representative and Crown court paralegal.

‘We've been very lucky with each of them and they remain positive and dedicated to working in crime, despite the comments in the vein of "...Once you have a family and responsibilities, you will find that it is simply impossible." Comments like this I don't agree with, being 36 with a family and responsibilities.’

Geddes was very proud of his team 'and it would be nice to see further positive articles about the A&E department of the legal sector'. I'll do my best.

Oh, and according to figures provided by the Law Society to the Leveson criminal courts review, only 7% of duty solicitors were under 35 last year. In 2017, the figure was 14%. So yes, a solicitor under 35 joining the duty world is a big deal and warranted a story in the Gazette.