Category: legal aid

LASPO Review: Bar Council reaction – The Bar Council

Posted February 11th, 2019 in barristers, benefits, bereavement, budgets, coroners, costs, families, inquests, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, press releases by tracey

‘The Bar Council has reacted to the Ministry of Justice’s LASPO Part 1 review, published today. Richard Atkins QC, Chair of the Bar Council, said: “The Bar Council is disappointed with the Government’s post-implementation review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (“LASPO”), published today. When the Bar Council gave evidence to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) last year on the impact of the LASPO cuts to legal aid we identified five priorities to help reverse the decline in legal aid provision over almost six years. (See notes to editors). Few have been addressed.” ‘

Full press release

The Bar Council, 7th February 2019

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Fury over MoJ ‘betrayal’ on legal aid at inquests – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 11th, 2019 in bereavement, budgets, families, inquests, legal aid, legal representation, litigants in person, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘The Ministry of Justice has been accused of betraying those campaigning to ensure an equality of arms between bereaved families and the state at inquests.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 8th February 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

A ‘drop in the ocean’ for justice? – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 11th, 2019 in budgets, legal aid, litigants in person, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘The Ministry of Justice sweetened its long-awaited review of swingeing legal aid cuts with a pledge to spend £8m on legal support and litigants in person. But does its response go far enough?’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 11th February 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Gauke: Innovation and tech the way forward on legal aid – Legal Futures

Posted February 8th, 2019 in budgets, civil justice, legal aid, litigants in person, news by sally

‘The justice secretary said yesterday that innovation and technology, rather than significant increases in legal aid spending, are the way to improve access to justice.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 8th February 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

MPs and peers call for end to indefinite detention – The Guardian

Posted February 7th, 2019 in deportation, detention, human rights, immigration, legal aid, news, select committees, time limits by tracey

‘Indefinite detention in immigration centres is traumatic and the practice should be stopped, with people ideally held for no longer than 28 days, a parliamentary committee has recommended. In a highly critical report, the joint committee on human rights (JCHR), made up of MPs and peers, described the UK’s immigration system as “slow, unfair and expensive to run”, and said detention should be authorised only by decision-makers independent of the Home Office.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 7th February 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Surge in parents forced to fight child custody battles with no legal representation – The Independent

Posted February 5th, 2019 in budgets, children, custody, families, legal aid, litigants in person, news, statistics by tracey

‘The number of parents forced to represent themselves in child custody battles at family courts has more than doubled in six years in the wake of legal aid cuts. Campaigners have warned “huge injustices” are taking place and children’s best interests are being “obscured”. Government data revealed 23,881 parents who applied to open private law cases for child arrangements in 2017 had no legal representation – up 134 per cent since 2011.’

Full Story

The Independent, 4th February 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lord McNally: ‘We had to cut legal aid. It’s not a bottomless pit’ – The Guardian

Posted January 30th, 2019 in budgets, human rights, legal aid, legal services, news, probation by sally

‘The Lib-Dem peer says coalition cuts were necessary but have gone too far – people must be able to access justice.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 30th January 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lay users “must be at heart of court process”, says think tank – Litigation Futures

Posted January 28th, 2019 in courts, legal aid, litigants in person, news by sally

‘Greater efforts need to be made to put lay court users at the centre of the legal system so they understand the process, know what to expect, and can therefore participate fully, according to an influential justice think tank.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 28th January 2019

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Legal aid for welfare benefits plummets over a decade – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 18th, 2019 in appeals, benefits, budgets, legal aid, news, statistics by tracey

‘The Ministry of Justice says its delayed review of the impact of its controversial legal aid reforms is nearly done after publishing a table showing an alarming drop in the number of people who have been granted public funding in welfare benefits cases over the last decade.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 17th January 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal Aid Agency faces High Court showdown over protection orders – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 17th, 2019 in homelessness, legal aid, local government, news, proportionality, public order by tracey

‘The Legal Aid Agency will have to gear up for another High Court showdown after a civil liberties group was granted permission to challenge the lack of public funding to help homeless people targeted by protection orders aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 16th January 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Financial Remedy & Divorce Update, January 2019 – Family Law Week

Posted January 14th, 2019 in dispute resolution, divorce, families, financial provision, fines, legal aid, news, time limits by tracey

‘Rose-Marie Drury, Senior Associate, and Sue Brookes, Principal Associate, Mills & Reeve LLP analyse the news and case law relating to financial remedies and divorce during December 2018.’

Full Story

Family Law Week, 11th January 2018

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Restore legal aid for separating couples, MoJ urged – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 11th, 2018 in budgets, consultations, divorce, families, legal aid, news by sally

‘Digitising the divorce application process and hoping for the best isn’t enough to reform the legal requirements for splitting up, the Law Society has warned, telling the government to restore legal aid so that separating couples can receive early advice.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 11th December 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal aid advice network ‘decimated’ by funding cuts – BBC News

Posted December 11th, 2018 in budgets, housing, legal aid, legal representation, litigants in person, news, statistics by sally

‘Cuts to legal aid have created “deserts” of provision across England and Wales, a BBC investigation found.’

Full Story

BBC News, 10th December 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Government-commissioned review recommends legal aid for bereaved families – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 7th, 2018 in bereavement, bills, detention, families, legal aid, legal representation, mental health, news, suicide, violence by tracey

‘The government has announced that it will introduce a new mental health bill following today’s publication of the findings of an independent review into the Mental Health Act 1983. However it is silent on the review’s recommendation that bereaved families should receive non-means tested legal aid – despite already pledging to accept two other recommendations.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 6th December 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Lord Sumption at the Young Bar Conference 2018, London – Supreme Court

Posted November 26th, 2018 in advocacy, barristers, judiciary, legal aid, speeches by tracey

‘Lord Sumption at the Annual Bar and Young Bar Conference 2018, London.’

Full speech

Supreme Court, 24th November 2018

Source: www.supremecourt.uk

Sumption: Bar of future will be smaller and more specialist – Legal Futures

Posted November 26th, 2018 in advocacy, barristers, judiciary, legal aid, news by tracey

‘There will be fewer and more specialist barristers in the future, Lord Sumption has predicted, as he criticised some of the Bar’s actions in response to legal aid cuts.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 26th November 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Litigants in Person – an inherent problem with the justice system – Family Law Week

Posted November 21st, 2018 in budgets, legal aid, legal representation, litigants in person, news, statistics by tracey

‘Matthew Richardson, barrister at Coram chambers considers the fundamental problem with re-shaping our justice system around a huge increase in litigants in person, caused by the removal of legal aid provision from most cases.’

Full Story

Family Law Week, 9th November 2018

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

New research questions link between austerity and legal aid cuts – The Bar Council

Posted November 8th, 2018 in budgets, criminal justice, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, press releases, statistics by tracey

‘New research commissioned by the Bar Council reveals the full scale of a decade of dis-investment in justice and argues that decisions to make wholesale budget cuts cannot be blamed on austerity measures alone.’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 1st November 2018

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Barristers becoming as vulnerable to cyber-attacks as solicitors – Legal Futures

Posted November 1st, 2018 in barristers, budgets, complaints, computer crime, consultations, courts, disclosure, fees, legal aid, news, solicitors, statistics by sally

‘Increased use of technology at the Bar and in the court system has left barristers as vulnerable to cyber-attacks as solicitors, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has warned.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 1st November 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Bar Council: LASPO has failed – The Bar Council

Posted October 26th, 2018 in barristers, budgets, civil justice, criminal justice, legal aid, litigants in person, press releases by tracey

‘Legislation passed five years ago has failed to meet its aims and has created an unfair and inefficient justice system, says the Bar Council as new research shows the true impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO).’

Full press release

The Bar Council, 25th October 2018