In the meantime, the Department is relying on using part-time judges (recorders) to provide the additional judicial capacity it needs. It recruited 104 crime recorders in the last recruitment round, and is looking to expand numbers further significantly. The Department told us that currently recorders are not working as many days as it expected, and so is working with the judiciary to encourage recorders to work more days.13 Increasing the amount of work that recorders undertake as judges means they have less time in their substantive roles as criminal barristers and solicitors. The Bar Council, Law Society and Criminal Bar Association all reported there are already severe pressures in recruiting and retaining criminal barristers and solicitors.14