I read in the press last week that two politicians, Ed Miliband and Grant Shapps, want the ‘something for nothing’ culture in this country to end.

As a duty solicitor, I wholeheartedly agree, but sadly politicians in the Ministry of Justice do not. From Monday 3 October, criminal practitioners will no longer be paid for committal proceedings in the magistrates’ court for triable either way cases that commence on or after that date.

As a criminal lawyer, much of the work I carry out is publicly funded. I do not believe that criminal lawyers should have a right to earn fortunes from the public purse. However, criminal lawyers are professional people; and not to remunerate us for representation of publicly funded defendants in committal proceedings is wholly unacceptable.

The withdrawal of remuneration for representation in committal proceedings has serious ramifications for our ability to offer our clients unfettered independent advice on mode of trial and in which court they should have their trial. For example, if a defendant is remanded in custody and a triable either way matter is deemed suitable by the magistrates’ court, an election for Crown court trial could result in a minimum of four unpaid attendances at court hearings. It is therefore likely that any advice will be weighted towards advising our clients to have their trial in the magistrates’ court.

This December will see the sixth anniversary of my qualification as a solicitor. Having spent all of that time working in criminal law, primarily representing publicly funded defendants, I have witnessed nothing but fee cuts from both the Labour administration and Conservative-led coalition.

However, there is a lacuna in the law in section 6(1) of the Magistrates Court Act 1980, which means that a short section 6(2) committal hearing cannot take place when defendants are unrepresented.

This gives us an opportunity as a profession to take effective action, by putting in place with clients retainers that do not include the committal hearing, and delaying the application for a representation order until after the committal hearing. Inevitably, this will result in lengthy hearings and delays in magistrates’ courts, for a period of time while section 6(1) committal hearings become the norm rather than an exception.

This will be ‘justice’ for the Ministry of Justice – in respect of its expectation that criminal defence lawyers should do something for nothing.

Neil Blackaby, Freelance duty solicitor, SJ Law, London E17