brokenhearted - I think you've managed to miss the point spectacularly.
If the money barristers like summerbreezer earns continues to plummet downwards - either actually or comparatively (in relation to other branches of the legal profession, such as commercial law) - then the standard, and number, of barristers in this are will similarly decline.
Yes, there will be quite a few people who will do this work because they are civic-minded and believe in public duty. However, that is an ethos that is, in itself, in decline.
So the point of a post such as summerbreezer's isn't necessarily self-interest: it's to alert us all to what is happening in the legal system. Legal aid has been hammered, and here we have another area being eroded. The end result is, as summerbreezer has pointed out, a two-tier system.
You're a solicitor, you say? All the law students I knew at university were trained for years in reading accurately, and getting the point. I;m surprised you missed that, and went off on an "Your lucky to have a job and be paid at all" tangent.
She's not that lucky. A degree in law, from a reputable university, opens many, well-paid career paths. It would be a shame if defending (and prosecuting) publicly funded cases was no longer a career path of choice for many. A shame for those who find themselves caught up in the legal system as the public - not necessarily those who simply choose to employ their qualifications elsewhere.