Category: legal aid

7 out of 10 of the British public fear legal aid cuts will lead to injustice – The Bar Council

Posted May 21st, 2013 in consultations, criminal justice, legal aid, miscarriage of justice, news, statistics by sally

“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.”

Full story

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

Posted May 21st, 2013 in consultations, legal aid, miscarriage of justice, news, statistics by sally

“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.”

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The Guardian, 21st May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Interview: Chris Grayling – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 20th, 2013 in alternative business structures, barristers, budgets, consultations, costs, fees, legal aid, news, solicitors by sally

“In his foreword to the consultation on ‘transforming’ legal aid, justice secretary Chris Grayling explains that change is needed to ‘boost public confidence’ and cut costs, which he claims have ‘spiralled out of control’. Speaking to the Gazette, he offers no empirical evidence that the public has lost confidence in the system. But he claims to have received ‘lots of letters and emails’ from people concerned about legal aid entitlement. He alludes to prisoners getting legal aid ‘to argue they should have a different cell’, and migrants receiving civil legal aid.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 20th May 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Criminal legal aid cuts to reach £370m – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 20th, 2013 in budgets, consultations, fees, legal aid, news, solicitors by sally

“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.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 17th May 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Cut Price Justice – Garden Court Chambers Blog

Posted May 20th, 2013 in alternative business structures, barristers, budgets, conflict of interest, fees, legal aid, legal representation, litigants in person, news, rule of law by sally

“Anna Morris explains why the legal profession and the public must unite to oppose the government’s attack on legal aid.”

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Garden Court Chambers Blog, 20th May 2013

Source: www.gclaw.wordpress.com

Legal watchdog warns budget cuts will damage justice – The Guardian

Posted May 20th, 2013 in barristers, budgets, consultations, demonstrations, inquiries, judicial review, legal aid, legal representation, news, solicitors by sally

“Depriving defendants of the ability to choose their own solicitor will undermine confidence in the criminal justice system, an official legal watchdog warned on Monday.”

Full story

The Guardian, 20th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Will the new criminal legal aid reforms breach the right to a fair trial? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted May 17th, 2013 in consultations, criminal justice, human rights, legal aid, news, trials by sally

“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.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 16th May 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Legal profession joins forces to oppose unreasonable legal aid proposals – The Bar Council

Posted May 16th, 2013 in criminal justice, legal aid, legal profession, news, tenders by sally

“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.”

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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

Posted May 16th, 2013 in consultations, evidence, expert witnesses, family courts, fees, legal aid, news by sally

“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.”

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The Guardian, 16th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal aid cuts prompt top lawyers to leave the bar for careers on the bench – The Guardian

Posted May 16th, 2013 in barristers, judiciary, legal aid, legal profession, news by sally

“It has been dubbed the stampede for ‘the purple lifeboat’ – applications to become judges have more than doubled over the past four years as senior lawyers seek professional sanctuary on the bench.”

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The Guardian, 16th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Undermine Legal Aid and you put our entire justice system at risk – The Independent

Posted May 15th, 2013 in criminal justice, legal aid, legal profession, news, tenders by sally

“Now top legal talent will find the prospect of working in criminal courts less attractive.”

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The Independent, 14th May 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Bar Council Publishes Legal Aid Consultation Core Case – Family Law Bar Association

Posted May 14th, 2013 in barristers, consultations, fees, legal aid, news, tenders by sally

“The Bar Council has published a document summarising it’s core case in respect of the current consultation in respect of legal aid. Read that document here. The proposals include the introduction of Price Competitive Tendering in criminal work and further fee cuts to solicitors (10%) and experts (20%) in family cases.”

Full story

Family Law Bar Association, 8th May 2013

Source: www.flba.co.uk

Bar Standards Board extends first registration phase for QASA – Bar Standards Board

Posted May 13th, 2013 in alternative business structures, barristers, consultations, legal aid, press releases, quality assurance, solicitor advocates by tracey

“The Bar Standards Board will extend the first QASA registration period to ensure that the Criminal Bar will have more time to consider the consequences of government changes to legal aid before registering. The end of the first registration period will now be 9 March 2014, which will be after the Ministry of Justice publishes its final response to the consultation, ‘Transforming legal aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’.”

Full press release

Bar Standards Board, 10th May 2013

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Finance and Divorce May 2013 update – Family Law Week

Posted May 13th, 2013 in benefits, divorce, family courts, financial provision, legal aid, litigants in person, news, presumption of death orders by tracey

“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.”

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Family Law Week, 12th May 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

From Barretry, Maintenance and Champerty to Litigation Funding – Lord Neuberger, President of The Supreme Court

Posted May 10th, 2013 in barristers, civil justice, judges, legal aid, speeches by sally

From Barretry, Maintenance and Champerty to Litigation Funding (PDF)

Lord Neuberger, President of The Supreme Court

Harbour Litigation Funding First Annual Lecture, 8th May 2013

Source: www.supremecourt.gov.uk

Legal aid cuts risks damaging civilised society, warns senor judge – Daily Telegraph

Posted May 10th, 2013 in barristers, civil justice, dispute resolution, judges, legal aid, news by sally

“Cuts to legal aid risk damaging the ‘essence of civilised society’ the country’s highest judge warned as he said everyone should have access to justice.”

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Daily Telegraph, 9th May 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Legal aid tendering: will it actually work? – The Guardian

Posted May 9th, 2013 in consultations, legal aid, news, tenders by tracey

“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?”

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The Guardian, 8th May 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Eddie Stobart drives into legal aid row – The Guardian

Posted May 8th, 2013 in barristers, competition, criminal justice, legal aid, legal representation, news, tenders by sally

“A subsidiary of the haulage firm Eddie Stobart has emerged as a leading contender in bidding for a new generation of criminal legal aid contracts that would deprive defendants of the right to choose their own solicitor.”

Full story

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

Posted May 7th, 2013 in judicial review, legal aid, news, rule of law by sally

“‘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.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 5th May 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

LAA must give reasons about funding expert assessments in care proceedings – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted May 2nd, 2013 in children, costs, expert witnesses, judicial review, legal aid, news, reasons by sally

“This successful challenge to a decision by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) arose from an expert assessor in family proceedings – not unnaturally – refusing to begin work unless funding was in place. If the LAA are asked to fund an assessment on behalf of a party with legal aid, then it is common for lawyers to obtain prior authority from the LAA to ensure that the expert will be paid for their work. If not, then the lawyers themselves can be liable for an expert’s costs. In this case, prior authority to pay for the expert assessment had been refused by the LAA thus resulting in further court hearings and delay in the resolution of the case for the children.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 2nd May 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com