A leading QC has said his colleagues are ready strike unless the coalition calls off its drastic cuts to legal aid.

The usually conservative Criminal Bar Association aired the prospect of industrial action on Saturday following a protest at Lincoln's Inn - the London house at which barristers across England and Wales receive their licence to practice.

Association chairman Nigel Lithman QC said his union was prepared to escalate to a full walkout by January next year if their warnings went unheeded.