By . Steve Doughty . PUBLISHED: . 11:32 EST, 6 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 05:41 EST, 7 January 2014 . This scene outside the Old Bailey yesterday could be the most elite picket line in the history of British industrial relations. The group of lawyers – clearly in a light-hearted mood – walked out in a nationwide barristers’ protest against legal aid cuts. They insist the reductions in fees paid by the taxpayer will stop bright legal brains becoming criminal lawyers. Scroll down for video . Privileged: Barrister Charlotte Hole (front row, second left) clutches a £1,100 Mulberry bag during yesterday's action. She was among thousands of barristers across the UK to stage a protest against legal aid cuts . Some junior barristers earn as little as £13,000 a year, their leaders said. But perhaps it was a mistake for one protester to have her exclusive Mulberry Bayswater handbag on show. The accessory – list price £1,100 – belongs to Charlotte Hole, 31, who would have struggled to buy it on such a salary. However, Oxford-educated Miss Hole later claimed the handbag was a gift from her mother and says on her Twitter account that defence barristers usually earn £50 a day before deductions. She was among thousands of lawyers to protest against Justice Secretary Chris Grayling's plans to slash a further . £200million from the annual £2.1billion legal aid bill by 2018/19. Having fun: Females barristers (left to right) Rebecca Saillet, Charlotte Hole and Aska Fujita enjoy a joke outside the Old Bailey yesterday . Action: Justice Secretary Chris Grayling plans to slash £200million from the annual £2.1billion legal aid bill by 2018/19. But barristers insist the reductions in fees will stop bright legal brains becoming criminal lawyers . The cuts target the fees paid to barristers defending criminals. Yesterday . Nigel Lithman QC, chairman of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), warned of . the effects. ‘You are going to see cases collapsing, as has already . started,’ he said. ‘Without people coming into the system, there will . be nobody of ability to prosecute serious cases.’ He also accused Mr Grayling of 'manipulating' official figures to falsely portray lawyers doing criminal aid work as high-earning 'fat cats'. He added that the average barrister involved in the work earned around £36,000. The Ministry of Justice has said it was . vital to scale back the most expensive legal aid scheme in the world and . insisted it will remain 'very generous' even after the changes. Walk out: Barristers outside Birmingham Crown Court join in with the protest against cuts to legal aid budget . Placards: Lawyers walked out of Southwark Crown Court in London yesterday in protest against the cuts . In arms: Barristers and solicitors not in their wigs outside Westminster Magistrates Court yesterday morning . The . department-highlighted figures showing that 1,200 barristers judged to . be working full-time on taxpayer-funded criminal work received £100,000 . each in fee income last year. Six barristers picked up more than . £500,000 each, it said. The . Bar Standards Board has warned that any barristers who stay away from . court will almost certainly be in breach of their professional code of . conduct with 'very serious consequences'. It . urged the CBA to call off the action which it said could harm the . interests of clients, others involved in a case and public confidence in . the administration of justice. The reforms also include limits on . prisoners' access to legal aid, a household disposable income threshold . for criminal legal aid and reductions in the cost of fees for . representation. Lawyers have not called action today a 'strike' over their obligations to the Legal Aid Agency. Cuts: The government say they must 'scale back' the legal aid system - which is the most expensive in the world. Lawyers at Sheffield Crown Court (pictured) were among those to walk out in protest . Yesterday at the Old Bailey, two brothers who allegedly plotted to . travel abroad for terrorist training appeared without . the assistance of their solicitors. Jurors . in the case of Muhammed Saeed Ahmed and Muhammed Naeem Ahmed were . reminded by Old Bailey judge Gerald Gordon that the 'lonely' courtroom . was a result of the strikes taking place. It was one of a number of cases to suffer setbacks as a result of the action. Around . 70 barristers gathered outside Birmingham Crown Court to back the . walk-out and hear Mark Wall QC read out a statement condemning the . Government's proposals. And . around 150 protesters gathered outside the entrance to London's . Southwark Crown Court where some pre-trial hearings were being held . without all barristers present. Demonstration: Lawyers demonstrate at the Old Bailey. Many cases were heard without legal representation . Warning: The Bar Standards agency warned those who walked out - like these lawyers in Sheffield - could face serious consequences . Many . outside were dressed in their wigs and robes with some holding placards . with the words 'Save British Justice' and 'No legal aid cuts'. Bristol Crown Court dealt only with cases involving vulnerable children and adults this morning because of the walk-out. Earlier, Mr Lithman told the BBC: 'You are going to see cases collapsing, as they have already started. There are cases of murders, murder trials, that have collapsed because of them being inadequately prosecuted - that leads to enormous concerns for the victim's family. 'Secondly, the barristers will not work, they have made that quite clear, at rates that take them, as one person was telling me of his earnings today, to around £13,000 as a taxable income. 'That is a somebody with a law degree and a masters in public international law - why would they work at those rates? The MOJ stood by its proposals today - saying lawyers, pictured at Southwark Crown Court, would still be well paid under the proposals . 'This is how the public will see it as . far as prosecution is concerned - without people coming into the system . there will simply be nobody of ability to prosecute serious cases. 'Where will paedophiles and rapists be living? Not doing the 100-year terms of which the Government speaks but, I am afraid, next door to the public.' But Mr Lithman, whose own case was moved to the afternoon, said the same official statistics showed that - after allowing for VAT and other expenses - the average barrister involved in the work earned around £36,000. The Bar Council calculated that it was lower still - around the £27,000 national average, he said, meaning the cuts would push people away from the vital work. 'There are simply going to be no people of any ability prepared to do criminal legal aid work,' Mr Lithman said. Accusation: The Chair of the Criminal Bar Association accused Justice Secretary Chris Grayling of 'manipulating' official figures. Above, barristers protest outside Birmingham Crown Court . In a dig at the release of the . earnings figures, he said he had been contacted by one barrister who was . earning £13,680 in her second year of practice. 'You . can put out the earnings of five to 10 people, but you can't run the . justice system on the efforts of five to 10 people,' he said. Sadiq Khan, the shadow justice secretary, said: 'No-one wants to see disruption in our courts but this unprecedented action shows how relations between the legal profession and David Cameron's Government have collapsed as a result of policies which could restrict access to our courts to only those who can afford it. 'The Lord Chancellor swears an oath to uphold the law of the land, so for Chris Grayling to have lost the confidence of the legal community he relies on to deliver on this oath is extremely worrying.' Frances Cook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, addressed a protest outside Westminster Magistrates' Court. After speaking, she said: 'Abolition of legal aid for prisoners, including teenagers and mothers separated from their babies, is politically motivated and not based on hard financial sense. 'It will mean people spend months, or even years, longer in jail unnecessarily because will no longer get legal support to get the courses they need in prison and to move through the prison maze.' An Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'We entirely agree lawyers should be paid fairly for their work, and believe our proposals do just that. 'We also agree legal aid is a vital part of our justice system - that's why we have to find efficiencies to ensure it remains sustainable and available to those most in need of a lawyer. 'Agencies involved in the criminal justice system will take steps to minimise any upset court disruption could cause for victims and witnesses involved in trials.'
Thousands of barristers walked out today in first ever criminal bar protest .
Government plan £220million cuts in fees and legal aid budget by 2018/19 .
Barristers insist reductions will prevent people becoming criminal lawyers .
But lawyer Charlotte Hole turned up to protest with £1,100 Mulberry bag .
By . Steve Doughty . PUBLISHED: . 11:32 EST, 6 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 05:41 EST, 7 January 2014 . This scene outside the Old Bailey yesterday could be the most elite picket line in the history of British industrial relations. The group of lawyers – clearly in a light-hearted mood – walked out in a nationwide barristers’ protest against legal aid cuts. They insist the reductions in fees paid by the taxpayer will stop bright legal brains becoming criminal lawyers. Scroll down for video . Privileged: Barrister Charlotte Hole (front row, second left) clutches a £1,100 Mulberry bag during yesterday's action. She was among thousands of barristers across the UK to stage a protest against legal aid cuts . Some junior barristers earn as little as £13,000 a year, their leaders said. But perhaps it was a mistake for one protester to have her exclusive Mulberry Bayswater handbag on show. The accessory – list price £1,100 – belongs to Charlotte Hole, 31, who would have struggled to buy it on such a salary. However, Oxford-educated Miss Hole later claimed the handbag was a gift from her mother and says on her Twitter account that defence barristers usually earn £50 a day before deductions. She was among thousands of lawyers to protest against Justice Secretary Chris Grayling's plans to slash a further . £200million from the annual £2.1billion legal aid bill by 2018/19. Having fun: Females barristers (left to right) Rebecca Saillet, Charlotte Hole and Aska Fujita enjoy a joke outside the Old Bailey yesterday . Action: Justice Secretary Chris Grayling plans to slash £200million from the annual £2.1billion legal aid bill by 2018/19. But barristers insist the reductions in fees will stop bright legal brains becoming criminal lawyers . The cuts target the fees paid to barristers defending criminals. Yesterday . Nigel Lithman QC, chairman of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), warned of . the effects. ‘You are going to see cases collapsing, as has already . started,’ he said. ‘Without people coming into the system, there will . be nobody of ability to prosecute serious cases.’ He also accused Mr Grayling of 'manipulating' official figures to falsely portray lawyers doing criminal aid work as high-earning 'fat cats'. He added that the average barrister involved in the work earned around £36,000. The Ministry of Justice has said it was . vital to scale back the most expensive legal aid scheme in the world and . insisted it will remain 'very generous' even after the changes. Walk out: Barristers outside Birmingham Crown Court join in with the protest against cuts to legal aid budget . Placards: Lawyers walked out of Southwark Crown Court in London yesterday in protest against the cuts . In arms: Barristers and solicitors not in their wigs outside Westminster Magistrates Court yesterday morning . The . department-highlighted figures showing that 1,200 barristers judged to . be working full-time on taxpayer-funded criminal work received £100,000 . each in fee income last year. Six barristers picked up more than . £500,000 each, it said. The . Bar Standards Board has warned that any barristers who stay away from . court will almost certainly be in breach of their professional code of . conduct with 'very serious consequences'. It . urged the CBA to call off the action which it said could harm the . interests of clients, others involved in a case and public confidence in . the administration of justice. The reforms also include limits on . prisoners' access to legal aid, a household disposable income threshold . for criminal legal aid and reductions in the cost of fees for . representation. Lawyers have not called action today a 'strike' over their obligations to the Legal Aid Agency. Cuts: The government say they must 'scale back' the legal aid system - which is the most expensive in the world. Lawyers at Sheffield Crown Court (pictured) were among those to walk out in protest . Yesterday at the Old Bailey, two brothers who allegedly plotted to . travel abroad for terrorist training appeared without . the assistance of their solicitors. Jurors . in the case of Muhammed Saeed Ahmed and Muhammed Naeem Ahmed were . reminded by Old Bailey judge Gerald Gordon that the 'lonely' courtroom . was a result of the strikes taking place. It was one of a number of cases to suffer setbacks as a result of the action. Around . 70 barristers gathered outside Birmingham Crown Court to back the . walk-out and hear Mark Wall QC read out a statement condemning the . Government's proposals. And . around 150 protesters gathered outside the entrance to London's . Southwark Crown Court where some pre-trial hearings were being held . without all barristers present. Demonstration: Lawyers demonstrate at the Old Bailey. Many cases were heard without legal representation . Warning: The Bar Standards agency warned those who walked out - like these lawyers in Sheffield - could face serious consequences . Many . outside were dressed in their wigs and robes with some holding placards . with the words 'Save British Justice' and 'No legal aid cuts'. Bristol Crown Court dealt only with cases involving vulnerable children and adults this morning because of the walk-out. Earlier, Mr Lithman told the BBC: 'You are going to see cases collapsing, as they have already started. There are cases of murders, murder trials, that have collapsed because of them being inadequately prosecuted - that leads to enormous concerns for the victim's family. 'Secondly, the barristers will not work, they have made that quite clear, at rates that take them, as one person was telling me of his earnings today, to around £13,000 as a taxable income. 'That is a somebody with a law degree and a masters in public international law - why would they work at those rates? The MOJ stood by its proposals today - saying lawyers, pictured at Southwark Crown Court, would still be well paid under the proposals . 'This is how the public will see it as . far as prosecution is concerned - without people coming into the system . there will simply be nobody of ability to prosecute serious cases. 'Where will paedophiles and rapists be living? Not doing the 100-year terms of which the Government speaks but, I am afraid, next door to the public.' But Mr Lithman, whose own case was moved to the afternoon, said the same official statistics showed that - after allowing for VAT and other expenses - the average barrister involved in the work earned around £36,000. The Bar Council calculated that it was lower still - around the £27,000 national average, he said, meaning the cuts would push people away from the vital work. 'There are simply going to be no people of any ability prepared to do criminal legal aid work,' Mr Lithman said. Accusation: The Chair of the Criminal Bar Association accused Justice Secretary Chris Grayling of 'manipulating' official figures. Above, barristers protest outside Birmingham Crown Court . In a dig at the release of the . earnings figures, he said he had been contacted by one barrister who was . earning £13,680 in her second year of practice. 'You . can put out the earnings of five to 10 people, but you can't run the . justice system on the efforts of five to 10 people,' he said. Sadiq Khan, the shadow justice secretary, said: 'No-one wants to see disruption in our courts but this unprecedented action shows how relations between the legal profession and David Cameron's Government have collapsed as a result of policies which could restrict access to our courts to only those who can afford it. 'The Lord Chancellor swears an oath to uphold the law of the land, so for Chris Grayling to have lost the confidence of the legal community he relies on to deliver on this oath is extremely worrying.' Frances Cook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, addressed a protest outside Westminster Magistrates' Court. After speaking, she said: 'Abolition of legal aid for prisoners, including teenagers and mothers separated from their babies, is politically motivated and not based on hard financial sense. 'It will mean people spend months, or even years, longer in jail unnecessarily because will no longer get legal support to get the courses they need in prison and to move through the prison maze.' An Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'We entirely agree lawyers should be paid fairly for their work, and believe our proposals do just that. 'We also agree legal aid is a vital part of our justice system - that's why we have to find efficiencies to ensure it remains sustainable and available to those most in need of a lawyer. 'Agencies involved in the criminal justice system will take steps to minimise any upset court disruption could cause for victims and witnesses involved in trials.'
mood – walked out in a nationwide barristers’ bright legal brains becoming criminal lawyers. a £1,100 Mulberry bag during yesterday's action. right) Rebecca Saillet, Charlotte Hole and Aska annual £2.1billion legal aid bill by 2018/19. But barristers insist the reductions in fees will to legal aid budget . Placards: Lawyers walked in protest against the cuts . In arms: Barristers