Does mode of delivery make a difference to criminal case outcomes and clients' satisfaction? The public defence solicitor experiment

Among UK criminal lawyers few subjects tend to give vent to as much passionate debate as the introduction of public defence solicitors. Although the public defender pilot has only recently begun in England and Wales, north of the border in Scotland the evaluation of the public defence experiment has recently been completed. This article explains some of the key findings on case outcomes achieved by "private" and "public" defence solicitors for similar cases; and also in terms of client satisfaction. In so doing, the research also raises broader questions about summary justice.