Leslie Thomas: a voice for the dead – The Guardian
“Witnessing blatant police cruelty convinced the award-winning lawyer to make deaths in custody his life’s work.”
The Guardian, 21st May 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Category: legal aid
7 out of 10 of the British public fear legal aid cuts will lead to injustice – The Bar Council
“A ComRes poll, commissioned by the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, today shows that seven out of ten (71%) of the British public are concerned that cuts to legal aid could lead to innocent people being convicted of crimes they did not commit. The poll, published this morning, also shows that two-thirds (67%) of the British public agree that legal aid is a price worth paying for living in a fair society.”
The Bar Council, 21st May 2013
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
Public fear legal aid cuts will lead to wrongful convictions, poll finds – The Guardian
“More than 70% of the public fear that further cuts to legal aid could result in innocent people being convicted of crimes they did not commit, according to an opinion poll released by the Bar Council.”
The Guardian, 21st May 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Criminal legal aid cuts to reach £370m – Law Society’s Gazette
“The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that projected savings of £150m in fee cuts will not, as was expected, count towards required cuts of £220m a year – taking cuts in criminal legal aid to £370m.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 17th May 2013
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Will the new criminal legal aid reforms breach the right to a fair trial? – UK Human Rights Blog
“One of the most contentious proposals in the Consultation Paper on the transforming legal aid is the removal of client choice in criminal cases. Under the proposals contracts for the provision of legal aid will be awarded to a limited number of firms in an area. The areas are similar to the existing CPS areas. The Green Paper anticipates that there will be four or five such providers in each area. Thus the county of Kent, for example, will have four or five providers in an area currently served by fifty or so legal aid firms. Each area will have a limited number providers that will offer it is argued economies of scale.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 16th May 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Legal profession joins forces to oppose unreasonable legal aid proposals – The Bar Council
“Representatives of the Law Society and the Bar Council have joined forces with wider practitioner bodies to oppose the Ministry of Justice Consultation on proposed savage cuts to the funding of the Criminal Legal Aid Budget, the introduction of Price Competitive Tendering and other changes to the criminal justice system.”
The Bar Council, 14th May 2013
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
Ministers seek to cut £50m legal aid bill for expert witnesses in family courts – The Guardian
“Too many expert witnesses are being paid to give evidence of little value in family courts, according to the Ministry of Justice which is proposing a fresh round of cuts to legal aid.”
The Guardian, 16th May 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Undermine Legal Aid and you put our entire justice system at risk – The Independent
“Now top legal talent will find the prospect of working in criminal courts less attractive.”
The Independent, 14th May 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Finance and Divorce May 2013 update – Family Law Week
“Anna Heenan, solicitor and David Salter, Joint Head of Family Law at Mills & Reeve LLP analyse the April financial remedies and divorce news and cases.”
Family Law Week, 12th May 2013
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
Legal aid tendering: will it actually work? – The Guardian
“The MoJ’s public consultations on legal aid reforms show they are open-minded, but if the aim remains to reduce spending, what about the cost to justice?”
The Guardian, 8th May 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
More major rule of law changes, more dodgy statistics used to justify them – UK Human Rights Blog
“‘Access to justice should not be determined by your ability to pay’, begins the Justice Secretary Chris Grayling – perhaps accompanied by a subtle wink – at the beginning of the Ministry of Justice’s new consultation document. As many readers will know, the Government is currently consulting on a second round of legal aid cuts. This time, savings of £220m per year are estimated. The consultation closes in just under a month, on 4 June 2013.”
UK Human Rights Blog, 5th May 2013
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
