Category: budgets

Legal aid cuts hit divided families as contact centres close down – The Guardian

Posted January 19th, 2015 in budgets, children, families, legal aid, news by tracey

‘Child contact centres, where children meet their separated parents who cannot agree access rights, are disappearing as legal aid cuts take effect.The National Association for Child Contact Centres (NACCC) says 40 centres have closed in the last 18 months across England and Wales – and the pace of closures is accelerating. It says that, because it can no longer obtain legal aid, the number of parents accessing the family courts to resolve their problems has halved. As a result they are not receiving advice from solicitors who are likely to refer them to the centres.’

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The Guardian, 17th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Chris Grayling spends £72,000 of taxpayers’ money to defend ‘unlawful’ prison book ban – The Independent

Posted January 12th, 2015 in budgets, fees, news, prisons, solicitors by sally

‘The Justice Secretary spent £72,000 of taxpayers’ money in an attempt to maintain his ban on inmates receiving books in prison from visitors.’

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The Independent, 10th January 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Legal aid immigration case guidance ‘unlawful’ – BBC News

Posted December 15th, 2014 in appeals, budgets, civil justice, immigration, legal aid, news by tracey

‘Guidance on granting legal aid for exceptional immigration cases is “unlawful”, judges have ruled.’

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BBC News, 15th December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Policing cuts put public safety at risk, warns Met chief – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 15th, 2014 in budgets, closed circuit television, computer crime, domestic violence, internet, mental health, news, police, social services, standards by tracey

‘The head of the Metropolitan Police has warned that large cuts to police budgets and other services will put public safety at risk.’

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Daily Telegraph, 14th December 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Family of Ben Needham to sue Home Office for funding of police operation – The Guardian

Posted December 15th, 2014 in budgets, children, foreign jurisdictions, government departments, inquiries, missing persons, news, police by tracey

‘Ben Needham’s family is preparing to take the home secretary to court in an attempt to secure funding for British police to pursue suspects who might be linked to the toddler’s disappearance 23 years ago.’

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The Guardian, 15th December 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

“We’re all in this together”, says incoming Bar Council Chairman in Inaugural Address – The Bar Council

Posted December 10th, 2014 in barristers, budgets, fees, judicial review, legal aid, news by sally

‘Incoming Chairman of the Bar Council, Alistair MacDonald QC, has pledged he will “continue the excellent work” started by predecessors Maura McGowan QC and outgoing Chairman, Nicholas Lavender QC, in preventing further cuts to legal aid, in order to defend a “proud and independent profession”.’

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The Bar Council, 9th December 2014

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Legal aid slashed with no thought for consequences, MoJ chief admits – The Independent

Posted December 8th, 2014 in budgets, debts, employment, families, housing, legal aid, news by sally

‘The legal aid bill is being slashed by £300m without research into the potential effect of the cuts, the most senior civil servant at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has admitted.’

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The Independent, 5th Decemeber 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

NAO questions whether legal aid reforms have delivered better value for money – Free Movement

Posted December 5th, 2014 in budgets, legal aid, news, reports by sally

‘On 20 November 2014, the National Audit Office – the independent Parliamentary body responsible for scrutinising the way in which the government spends public money – published a report on the implementation of the post-2010 civil legal aid reforms. Its central conclusion is an unsurprising one: while spending on civil legal aid has been reduced significantly, the Ministry of Justice failed properly to consider the wider impact of the reforms before implementing them.’

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Free Movement, 5th December 2014

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Legal aid contracts for on-call criminal solicitors to be slashed by two-thirds – The Guardian

Posted November 28th, 2014 in budgets, consultations, criminal justice, fees, judicial review, legal aid, legal representation, Ministry of Justice, miscarriage of justice, news, solicitors by sally

‘On-call, duty contracts for criminal solicitors to attend police stations and courts will be slashed from 1,600 to 527 in England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.’

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The Guardian, 27th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Appeal court judge ‘horrified’ at number of litigants without lawyers – The Guardian

Posted November 24th, 2014 in barristers, budgets, legal aid, litigants in person, news by sally

‘A court of appeal judge has said she is “horrified” at the number of unrepresented litigants and warned that the delays caused will “clog up” the justice system.’

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The Guardian, 23rd November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

High Court slashes Google trial budget but says it’s too late for costs capping – Litigation Futures

Posted November 18th, 2014 in budgets, costs, costs capping orders, internet, news, trials by sally

‘The High Court has refused to make a costs-capping order in a case against Google because the case was so close to trial and so much had already been spent at a level which made detailed assessment inevitable.’

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Litigation Futures, 18th November 2014

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Blowing the budget – New Law Journal

Posted November 18th, 2014 in budgets, case management, costs, disclosure, news by sally

‘Richard Harrison argues that the present structure of case and costs management is misconceived.’

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New Law Journal, 12th November 2014

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

Violent prisoners to face tougher penalties in crackdown against serious assaults on prison staff – The Independent

Posted November 17th, 2014 in assault, bills, budgets, news, prison officers, prisons, prosecutions, statistics, violent offenders by sally

‘Violence in jails will be met with tougher repercussions in a new crackdown against serious assaults on prison staff.’

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The Independent, 16th November 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Too many prisoners jailed unnecessarily, says review head – The Guardian

Posted November 17th, 2014 in budgets, inquests, mental health, news, ombudsmen, prisons, reports, statistics, suicide, young offenders by sally

‘The unnecessary jailing of too many people in England and Wales is leaving resources stretched and vulnerable inmates unsupervised, the head of a review into prison suicides has said.’

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The Guardian, 14th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Law to protect foreign aid rejected by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 13th, 2014 in bills, budgets, charities, news by tracey

‘Philip Hammond has rejected a “bizarre” plan to enshrine in law Britain’s commitment to spend billions of pounds every year on foreign aid. The Foreign Secretary’s comments could prompt a row with the Liberal Democrats, who are attempting to force through legislation committing the Government to spending 0.7 per cent of GDP on foreign aid. Mr Hammond said there is no need for a new law because the Government is already spending 0.7 per cent, which is a United Nations target.’

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Daily Telegraph, 12th November 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Judge attacks legal aid cuts as couple fight to keep their son – The Independent

Posted November 3rd, 2014 in adoption, budgets, care orders, family courts, human rights, judges, learning difficulties, legal aid, legal representation, local government, news by sally

‘One of Britain’s most senior judges has launched a withering attack on cuts to legal aid after a couple with learning disabilities was not provided with a lawyer to fight the forced adoption of their two-year-old son.’

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The Independent, 31st October 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Legal aid cuts denied mother a fair hearing, says senior judge – The Guardian

Posted November 3rd, 2014 in budgets, children, custody, family courts, judges, legal aid, legal representation, litigants in person, local government, news by sally

‘A senior family court judge has condemned the injustice of the newly pared-back legal aid system after an illiterate mother of four, with poor sight and hearing, was forced to represent herself in a court hearing over the custody of her children.’

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The Guardian, 2nd November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Record number of prison deaths ‘due to cuts and overcrowding’ – The Independent

Posted October 31st, 2014 in budgets, death in custody, news, prisons, statistics, suicide by sally

‘The number of people dying in prison has risen to its highest level since records began more than 30 years ago, figures released by the Ministry of Justice show.’

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The Independent, 31st October 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Finding your way – New Law Journal

Posted October 28th, 2014 in budgets, case management, disclosure, documents, law firms, news by sally

‘Jeffrey T Shapiro & James Morrey-Jones examine how law firms should budget for e-discovery post-Jackson.’

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New Law Journal, 27th October 2014

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

Grayling shelves plan to double the fee for getting a divorce – The Independent

Posted October 27th, 2014 in budgets, costs, divorce, families, fees, news by sally

‘The Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling, has quietly shelved plans to nearly double the fee for filing a divorce petition.’

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The Independent, 26th October 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk