This month sees LAG’s publication of Lockdown Lawyers, an anthology of poetry written by solicitors, barristers and judges, on how COVID-19 has hit legal aid lawyers. Money raised from sales of the book will go to the Law Centres Network.

The project is the brainchild of Irwin Mitchell’s Emma Trevett, who co-edited the book with Doughty Street Chambers barrister Jon Whitfield QC (who also provided generous financial support). It contains more than 50 poems that run the gamut from serious to humorous, encompassing a range of topics including crime, mental health, the lack of courts and how practitioners are coping with the pandemic.

In her foreword to the book, Trevett sets out the rationale behind her idea. ‘These are challenging times for the legal aid sector, which makes projects like Lockdown Lawyers essential to raise vital funds to support Law Centres,’ she says. Lockdown Lawyers ‘has seen legal aid lawyers from all over the country come together to create something positive and remarkable during these unprecedented times’.

‘I expected some gentle support from colleagues, a few smiles and “oh yes that’s nice”,’ Whitfield says in his introduction to the anthology. ‘Neither of us imagined there would be such an overwhelmingly positive response both in the number and quality of contributions and in the support from friends and colleagues.’

‘All the old worries are present despite the legal lockdown,’ he adds. ‘They have just increased hugely.’ The book ‘stands as testament to those people who are weathering [the current storm]’.

The book is available here, with discounts available when purchasing multiple copies.