Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Barristers - A law unto themselves
Geoffrey Vos QC, chairman of the Bar Council for England and Wales, has said that "barristers should be given the same recognition as teachers and nurses [..] as they play an essential role in society".
I beg to differ. Nurses and teachers work in an area that is not only far more accessible (you can just go to A&E or see a GP, and you can just take your kids to school) but is also inherintly complex because of factors outside human control - the human body is complex, and children need educating.
Now compare that with our bloated, inaccessible, over-complex (for no good reason) legal system. If I need access to a lawyer, can I just go to the lawyer equivalent of a GP or A&E? Not without a lot of money. Lawyers and barristers have a vested interest in keeping the whole process as long, drawn-out and complicated as possible, and that's why they are regarded with disdain.
I beg to differ. Nurses and teachers work in an area that is not only far more accessible (you can just go to A&E or see a GP, and you can just take your kids to school) but is also inherintly complex because of factors outside human control - the human body is complex, and children need educating.
Now compare that with our bloated, inaccessible, over-complex (for no good reason) legal system. If I need access to a lawyer, can I just go to the lawyer equivalent of a GP or A&E? Not without a lot of money. Lawyers and barristers have a vested interest in keeping the whole process as long, drawn-out and complicated as possible, and that's why they are regarded with disdain.
