‘Lawyers are refusing to represent people charged with certain crimes amid a crisis over solicitors’ pay, with one burglary suspect turned away by 12 legal firms, the Law Society president has said.’
The Guardian, 16th December 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Ministry of Justice is at risk of not meeting its statutory duty for civil legal aid to deliver access to justice, according to research it commissioned.’
Legal Futures, 2nd December 2024
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Ministers are to announce a 10% increase in legal aid fees for immigration and housing work after action by lawyers who warned that the failure to increase rates has led to a paralysis in the system.’
The Guardian, 29th November 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Legal aid solicitors feel they have been “neglected the most and taken advantage of” in the years following the LASPO cuts, according to an academic study.’
Legal Futures, 13th November 2024
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Legal Services Payment Orders – an underutilised tool?’
33 Bedford Row, 29th October 2024
Source: www.33bedfordrow.co.uk
‘A group of 119 criminal law firms have warned the government not to mistake their submitting an application for a new legal aid contract for an intention actually to sign it.’
Legal Futures, 23rd October 2024
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Major reforms via the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012 and subsequent reforms have reduced the legal aid budget and the scope of eligibility in criminal as well as civil cases. According to Mansfield et al., the principles of justice that embody the legal aid provision has been neglected by governments for over a decade and as such; created a gap that emasculates the most vulnerable in society, such as recipients of legal aid. This study employs an interview-based approach to investigate alternative perspectives in terms of the cuts and widespread impact on service providers in England and Wales, such as barristers, and solicitors. Detailed qualitative data were collected to provide insights into the diminishing legal aid scheme through the lived experiences of both civil and criminal legal aid providers. The study examines the concerns of service providers regarding their future as public defenders and the future of the judicial system post-LASPO 2012, focusing on safeguarding the rights of individuals facing litigation and ensuring that newly qualified lawyers are not deterred from public defence roles due to the long-term effects of ongoing legal aid cuts.’
Legal Ethics, 10th September 2024
Source: www.tandfonline.com
‘The former human rights lawyer Phil Shiner has pleaded guilty to fraud charges linked to claims made against Iraq war veterans.’
The Guardian, 1st October 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A High Court judge has dismissed a claim for judicial review in a case where legal aid for a Home Office asylum interview was refused because the interviewee had turned 18 by the time of his interview.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 23rd August 2024
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Providing free specialist legal advice could save the government £4.5billion for every half a million people who receive it, a new report has found.’
Local Government Lawyer, 14th August 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The serial killer Levi Bellfield has been blocked from having a civil partnership, after a new law came into force stopping the most serious offenders getting married behind bars.’
The Guardian, 2nd August 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Law Society President, Nick Emmerson, has called on the next government to protect children “trapped” in a family court crisis due to record backlogs.’
Local Government Lawyer, 2nd July 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The lord chancellor is being taken to the high court over claims that legal aid fees are so low they are preventing lawyers from providing representation for thousands of people who are eligible for it.’
The Guardian, 16th June 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘“Justice delayed is justice denied” goes the old legal maxim – one that has captured the state of the court system in England and Wales in recent years.’
The Guardian, 2nd June 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The government does not understand how costs may have shifted to other areas of the justice system or public sector following cuts in legal aid spending, the House of Commons public accounts committee (PAC) has warned.’
Legal Futures, 29th May 2024
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
© Inner Temple Library 2024