Mary Prior KC, who leads the CBA, highlighted how young barristers entering criminal law out of a sense of public duty are increasingly being drawn to higher-paying opportunities in corporate law.

Ms Prior said: “The problem is that the enthusiasm and desire for public service wears off within a couple of years. At that stage, our young criminal barristers move into better paying and less traumatic work, which enables them to maintain some form of work-life balance.”

The exodus from the profession is worsening the backlog of cases in the Crown Court. The courts are currently dealing with a backlog of over 73,000 cases, largely stemming from delays due to Covid.

Ms Prior added: “The number of cases which have to be adjourned because we cannot find a barrister to conduct a trial is growing.”

Leading commercial chambers such as Gray’s Inn Tax Chambers and Gough Square Chambers now offer pupillages with salaries of up to £100,000 a year. In stark contrast, criminal barristers often earn the Bar Standards Board minimum of £24,203 in London or £22,019 elsewhere.

Christopher Clark, a recruiter specialising in the legal sector, said: “Criminal barrister pay has continued to decline since legal aid was cut, with swathes of barristers having moved to City law firms for significant increases in compensation.”