Criminal barristers – and some solicitors – are due to take visible action over legal aid rates from Monday. It is the biggest such protest by the profession since similar action in 2014 – and that particular episode offers one important lesson for the class of 2022: remember the optics.
Eight years ago, the media leapt on the fact that one barrister was pictured on the picket line holding a £1,100 Mulberry bag. The barrister in question, who later explained the handbag was a gift from her mother – was placed front and centre of most images from the protest.
The Mail described the scene as ‘the most elite picket line in the history of British industrial relations’ and took great delight in giving details about the bag alongside claims from protestors that some members of the junior bar earned as little as £13,000 a year.
You can bet your life that the media will be poring over every accessory on show next week in an attempt to preserve the narrative of fat cat lawyers. Obiter’s advice would be to leave the designer stuff at home and make sure there’s nothing more expensive on display than a 10p bag for life from the local Tesco.
2 Readers' comments