“There are probably about 5,000 self-employed barristers and 1,000 higher court advocates active in criminal defence work. While the number of firms has dwindled substantially in the last few years, the number of barristers has increased, notwithstanding the fact that the work has diminished, mainly through the Crown Prosecution Service taking 25% of it in-house.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 27th January 2011
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk