A new Fair Trials report shows that young people perceived a lack of care, as well as ineptness and impartiality, from their lawyers.

They felt ill-informed because of  hurried discussions to discuss plea deals. They had a strong feeling  that legal aid solicitors lacked financial incentives to achieve the best outcome for them

The report is based on survey answers from 27 young people incarcerated in prisons around England and Wales as well as focus groups with 12 others who had experienced the criminal justice system.

Strong emotions by survey respondents about their experience may have been a factor, Fair Trials notes. There are no reasons to assume that the participants’ opinions were in any way extraordinary or uncommon, according to the study, although this may have impacted on how lawyers were perceived.

Many of the participants acknowledged that defence lawyers sometimes were unable to offer the kind of support they wanted due to circumstances beyond their control. The court system was overburdened with too many cases. They appreciated that  the current legal aid scheme made it impossible for defence lawyers to devote the required time and energy to their clients’ cases.

According to Fair Trials, there is ‘ample room for improvement’ regarding the calibre of legal advice given to young adults as well as a need for a more thorough knowledge of the underlying factors that influence young people’s perceptions.

This study relies on a small sample and combines criticism of barristers and solicitors, which makes it impossible to be clear how common the worrying concerns it identifies truly are, a Law Society representative said.

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