Agencies charging clients £120/hr

[AtW]

Whilst there may be a barrier to entry, it is not a cartel controlled by "The law society".

Law society controls the cartel: you can't be a solicitor who can practice until you get X years of experience, same goes for barristers, getting education is no problem - problem is getting a place to get this experience because otherwise you can't call yourself a lawyer or solicitor.

It is easy to see that the whole thing is a cartel - if they exploit those people desperate to get fully qualified then it's clear there is no competition - barristers can charge hundreds of pounds an hour, yet until they qualify they get paid maybe £10k per year! Heck, even that was recent, so effectively they like worked for free (or at least this is the impression I got).

I paid once for solicitors - trainee solicitor dealt with me, she was the cheapest at £80 + VAT per hour, but she certainly was not paid more than £30k, probably £25k, only when she qualified (and her rate probably doubled) she'd get salary raise.

It's a cartel, as simple as this - it's only good if you are in it, but for most people outside (especially the taxpayer) it is very bad thing.