Legal aid lawyers have warned of a ‘demographic time bomb’ facing the profession as the number of young criminal defence lawyers declines as a result of uncertainty over the future of criminal legal aid.

Law Society head of legal aid Richard Miller said the number of young criminal law solicitors has fallen significantly over recent years.

Many senior criminal lawyers are approaching retirement, but their number is not matched by junior lawyers coming through the ranks. ‘It’s a demographic time bomb,’ said Miller.

Omar Khan, a member of the Young Legal Aid Lawyers executive committee, said the lack of young lawyers coming through is attributable to a combination of factors, including the loss of Legal Services Commission training grants and uncertainty over the future of criminal legal services.

‘First we had best value tendering – a disaster for firms’ planning, and now there’s the threatened cull of firms. It is more prudent in the short term for firms to recruit paralegals rather than committing to expensive training contracts,’ he said.

Khan predicted that government cuts to the police, courts and Crown Prosecution Service budgets will mean fewer cases and less work for lawyers, exacerbating the problem.

‘This will impact on turnover, cashflow and profit. In turn it is likely to affect firms’ willingness to recruit trainees during the coming years,’ he said.

Khan predicted fewer duty solicitors in court, with greater caseloads, and fewer experienced solicitors to train the next generation of criminal lawyers. He warned that this could adversely affect the outcome of clients’ cases.

The government should give priority in the tendering process to firms with a good track record of recruiting trainees, Khan suggested, and investment in traineeships should be a condition of future criminal legal aid contracts. LSC training grants should be reinstated, he added.

Rodney Warren (pictured), director of the Criminal Law Solicitors Association, said: ‘The profile of the profession is getting older. The incredible uncertainty over future contracting and procurement, and constant changes, have meant firms can no longer afford to take on trainees and young people can no longer see a career in criminal law.’

Warren said the problem is not limited to crime, but crime is more adversely affected than other areas, as criminal solicitors are almost entirely dependent on legal aid.