In brief: BBC survey says lawyers do job well

Nearly 60 per cent of people questioned in a BBC survey think lawyers do a good job. More than 70 per cent of those with experience of the legal system describe their experience as good or very good. But 26 per cent say it has been fairly bad or very bad, according to the findings for Law in Action. The survey claims 83 per cent of people questioned want to settle problems informally without using lawyers. A spokesman for the Bar Council says of the survey: "This is not the legal system as represented as being in a crisis on almost a daily basis by the press."