Category: legal aid

Committee says proposed legal aid cuts may breach human rights – The Guardian

Posted December 16th, 2013 in barristers, budgets, demonstrations, equality, fees, human rights, immigration, legal aid, news, prisons by sally

‘Chris Grayling is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing, the chair of an influential all-party backbench committee has suggested. Oscar Wilde’s cynical jibe was twice put to the justice secretary when he gave evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights on 26 November and was then repeated by Dr Hywel Francis, a Labour MP, when he launched its report today.’

Full story

The Guardian, 13th December 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The Supreme Court on “prohibitively expensive” costs: Aarhus again – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted December 11th, 2013 in appeals, construction industry, costs, EC law, environmental protection, legal aid, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘This is the last gasp in the saga on whether Mrs Pallikaropoulos should bear £25,000 of the costs of her unsuccessful 2008 appeal to the House of Lords. And the answer, after intervening trips to the Supreme Court in 2010 and to the CJEU in 2013, is a finding by the Supreme Court that she should bear those costs.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 11th December 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

R (on the application of Edwards and another (Appellant) v Environment Agency and others (Respondents) – Supreme Court

Posted December 11th, 2013 in appeals, construction industry, consultations, costs, EC law, environmental protection, legal aid, news, Supreme Court by sally

R (on the application of Edwards and another (Appellant) v Environment Agency and others (Respondents) [2013] UKSC 78 | UKSC 2012/0030 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 11th December 2013

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

Solicitors to join walkout over MoJ plans to cut legal aid fees by up to 30% – The Guardian

Posted December 10th, 2013 in barristers, fees, industrial action, legal aid, news, solicitors by tracey

‘Criminal courts across England and Wales will be disrupted for half a day next month when thousands of solicitors join barristers in a mass walkout over government plans to cut legal aid fees by up to 30%.’

Full story

The Guardian, 6th December 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Rayner v Legal Services Commission – WLR Daily

Posted December 6th, 2013 in costs, law reports, legal aid, regulations by tracey

Rayner v Legal Services Commission: [2013] WLR (D)  467

‘On a proper reading of the words “attributable to” in paragraph 5(4) of the Community Legal Service (Cost Protection) Regulations 2000 the non-funded party could recover costs outside the funded period, provided that the causal link was established.’

WLR Daily, 2nd December 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Chambers in scrap with MoJ over reduced rates for Very High Cost Cases – The Lawyer

Posted December 4th, 2013 in barristers, costs, fees, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news, solicitors by sally

‘A number of high profile criminal sets have clashed with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) due to its circulation of a list of practitioners who might undertake Very High Cost Cases, which are now subject to reduced rates.’

Full story

The Lawyer, 3rd December 2013

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Legal Aid cuts challenge democratic notion of justice – The Lawyer

Posted December 3rd, 2013 in criminal justice, law firms, legal aid, news by sally

‘New research highlights the impact of Government cuts on lawyers entering criminal practice.’

Full story

The Lawyer, 2nd December 2013

Source: www.thelawyer.com

All out – barristers step up legal aid opposition with morning of ‘non-attendance’ – Legal Futures

Posted December 3rd, 2013 in barristers, fees, industrial action, legal aid, news by sally

‘The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has announced a morning of ‘non-attendance’ on the first day of the new court term next year in a major escalation of its opposition to the government’s legal aid cuts.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 2nd December 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Chancery Lane issues advice on barristers’ VHCC protest – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 28th, 2013 in barristers, fees, industrial action, Law Society, legal aid, news, solicitors by tracey

‘Firms should treat the withdrawal of barristers from very high cost cases (VHCCs) in protest over fee cuts like any other change of legal team, the Law Society has today advised.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 27th November 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Justice costs: Fury as lawyers’ fees top £850 an hour – The Independent

Posted November 27th, 2013 in budgets, costs, fees, law firms, legal aid, news, solicitors by tracey

‘Britain’s biggest law firms are shamelessly exploiting the maxim that “you get what you pay for”, with hourly fees at record levels of £850 an hour, according to new research.’

Full story

The Independent, 26th November 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

BSB closes “anomaly” that would have forced barristers to accept VHCC fee cut – Legal Futures

Posted November 26th, 2013 in barristers, fees, legal aid, news by tracey

‘The Bar Standards Board has moved to close a “regulatory anomaly” that would have temporarily seen barristers forced to accept the controversial new legal aid rates set by the government for very high-cost cases (VHCCs).’

Full story

Legal Futures, 26th November 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Small and mighty – Legal Voice

Posted November 26th, 2013 in law firms, legal aid, legal profession, news by tracey

‘The government may want to hand out criminal legal aid contracts to fewer, bigger firms, but smaller practices with lower overhead costs are arguably in a better position to survive the planned 17.5 per cent cuts, argues David Gilmore.’

Full story

Legal Voice, 26th November 2013

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk

Criminal bar ‘slowly being destroyed’, says judge – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 25th, 2013 in barristers, budgets, criminal justice, legal aid, news by tracey

‘Dispensing justice will become “impossible” if the “erosion” of the criminal bar continues, a Crown court judge warned at the end of a multi-million-pound drugs and firearms trial.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 23rd November 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Critics of legal aid cuts force Law Society vote – The Guardian

Posted November 20th, 2013 in budgets, consultations, Law Society, legal aid, news, solicitors by sally

“Solicitors opposed to government cuts in criminal legal aid have forced an emergency meeting of the Law Society to consider a no confidence motion in the profession’s leadership.”

Full story

The Guardian, 19th November 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Consultation Paper “Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps” Response on Behalf of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple – The Inner Temple

Posted November 18th, 2013 in barristers, budgets, consultations, fees, inns of court, legal aid, legal representation, news by sally

“This response is made by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, one of the four Inns of Court, to which all barristers must belong.”

Full story (PDF)

The Inner Temple, November 2013

Source: www.innertemple.org.uk

Extradition: why the government is wrong to remove the automatic right to appeal – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted November 18th, 2013 in Administrative Court, appeals, bills, extradition, human rights, legal aid, legal representation, news, proportionality, time limits, warrants by sally

“The government has come under fire from extradition and human rights practitioners for seeking to remove the automatic right of appeal in extradition cases.”

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 15th November 2013

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Barristers threaten strike action over cuts to legal aid – The Guardian

Posted November 18th, 2013 in barristers, budgets, demonstrations, legal aid, legal representation, news by sally

“Criminal barristers are threatening strike action if the government does not drop plans to slash legal aid, a senior QC has said.”

Full story

The Guardian, 16th November 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Complex fraud trial threatened as barristers decline work at reduced rate – The Guardian

Posted November 15th, 2013 in barristers, defence, fraud, legal aid, news, trials by tracey

“A complex fraud trial is threatened with collapse because barristers are refusing to take on defence work due to government cuts in legal aid. The case, involving eight defendants accused of what is known as a land bank fraud, is the first criminal proceeding affected by concerted action by advocates declining to accept work for significantly lower fees.”

Full story

The Guardian, 14th November 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps – Consultation Response by Garden Court Chambers – Garden Court Chambers Blog

Posted November 7th, 2013 in barristers, consultations, criminal justice, fees, law firms, legal aid, news, solicitors by tracey

“Garden Court Chambers have formulated the below response to the Ministry of Justice consultation document ‘Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps.’ The response reiterates Chambers’ strong opposition to the cuts to legal aid.”

Full story

Garden Court Chambers Blog, 1st November 2013

Source: www.gclaw.wordpress.com

A proud profession – The Bar Council

Posted November 6th, 2013 in barristers, budgets, fees, legal aid, legal profession, legal representation, media, news, pro bono work, public interest by sally

“Addressing lazy journalism; recognising what really motivates members of the Bar; looking at the pro bono work carried out on all fronts by so many; and the need for wider understanding of this contribution by all, especially the Government.”

Full story (PDF)

The Bar Council, October 2013

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk