But the government says the legal-aid system is among the most expensive in the world and is costing taxpayers too much at a time when resources are limited - hence the removal of some qualification criteria.
But instead of praising LegalAid lawyers for keeping the system honest for everyone, many (if not most) non-lawyers look askance at the notion of representing the guilty, particularly the violent guilty.
The switch to a discretionary system is bound to mean that some claimants with uncertain cases who previously might have received legalaid will no longer do so.