Criminal barrister Rosalind Burgin says she earns £7,000 less working as a barrister than she did as a barista. The 28-year-old says she took home £10,000 in his first year as a criminal defence barrister working as a junior.
But while working full-time as a coffee barista she earned around £7,000 more annually - and said it was much more reliable work. Rosalind admits first year earnings tend to be lower, but "you still need to be able to live" - and claims she's earning less than minimum wage.
The lawyer from Manchester is speaking out ahead of the September 5 strike over legal aid rates. It is expected the majority of crown court cases across the country will be adjourned.
Rosalind said the thought of her client's suffering is "gut-wrenching" but she feels she has no choice but to strike, because her job security is at an all-time low. She said: "I love working in criminal defence, and it's heart-breaking that we have to do this, but there are no options left now.
"It's not just about the pay, the work is really unsecure as well. I've been in tough situations before, but I've never had as little job security as I do now."
Rosalind worked in a number of different coffee shops before starting work as a defence barrister, and says she felt more secure throughout. "At least working at a coffee shop you knew what you were getting and it was secure. I knew I would get paid for 10 hours work, whereas now I don’t know how much I’ll get for 10 hours."
Rosalind says she is still waiting on payments for cases which finished in September last year. Colleagues are leaving to support their family, because criminal defence work isn't paying enough, she said.
She added: "The amount of work that goes in to chasing fees is so draining. My friend has recently had a baby and he can't do crime work because there’s not enough money for him to support his family."
The junior defence barrister said she knew it wasn't going to be easy and "pay was going to be tough" but thought it would be above minimum wage. "I thought I'd be comparable to some of my friends working in healthcare - who I completely support in their right to strike as well - but they're still getting minimum wage, at least. I'm not," she added.
The public reaction to the strike has been largely supportive, with many calling on the government to act. Rosalind has said the support has been "incredible" and "so many people seem to be on our side".
She added: "I've been saying to clients if a court date is on a strike day that I can't come in, and they have been really supportive. One even said 'good, you better not come in!'
"Support tends to increase after each strike – train strikes are good examples of that. Hopefully the government will listen to our demands."
