“This consultation paper sets out the details of the draft regulations for the introduction of means testing for criminal legal aid in the Crown Court.”
Ministry of Justice, 14th July 2009
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“Parliamentarians, family barristers and children’s charities will today continue their discussions on vulnerable children and the law. At a meeting in Parliament, chaired by Lord Thomas of Gresford QC, speakers from the Family Law Bar Association, Association of Lawyers for Children and the NSPCC, among others, will consider the dramatic impact that proposed cuts to family legal aid will have on vulnerable children and families.”
The Bar Council, 7th July 2009
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“An influential all-party group of MPs and Peers will today hear wide-ranging concerns voiced regarding the future supply of lawyers with the skills to do publicly funded work in the justice system.”
The Bar Council, 6th July 2009
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“Government proposals to introduce competitive tendering for criminal defence work will ‘savagely reduce’ the number of firms, lawyers say, and may be unlawful in their disproportionate impact on minority lawyers.”
The Guardian, 21st June 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Ministers are facing a growing revolt over plans to hold a ‘reverse auction’ to award legal aid contracts to the lowest bidders. Nearly 2,500 lawyers who say the scheme will cause ‘irreparable damage’ to the quality of the justice system have already signed a Downing Street online petition urging the plans be scrapped.”
The Times, 18th June 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Government proposals to cap payments made to acquitted defendants who have paid privately for their defence are the ‘final nail in the coffin’ of criminal legal aid firms, a leading practitioner group has warned.”
Law Society’s Gazette. 11th June 2009
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“Government proposals for Crown court means testing could deny vulnerable people access to justice and are being ‘rushed in’ too quickly, the Law Society said today.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 11th June 2009
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“Legal Aid Minister Willy Bach and Sir Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Legal Services Commission, have praised legal aid lawyers for their dedication to a fundamental service that underpins the justice system.”
Ministry of Justice, 11th June 2009
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“Plans to divert more legal aid funds to those most in need while delivering better value for taxpayers’ money are on track following the publication of the government’s response to a consultation on Crown Court means testing and Central Funds reforms.”
Ministry of Justice, 8th June 2009
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“Defendants in some serious criminal trials including cases of murder, manslaughter and rape will have to contribute to their own legal fees under plans announced by the government today.”
The Guardian, 8th June 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A defendant has escaped confiscation proceedings because she was unable to find an advocate willing to accept the legal aid rate to represent her. The court’s decision, upheld in the Court of Appeal, will fuel an ongoing dispute over the levels of legal aid fees.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 4th June 2009
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“City law firms could help fund some civil litigation cases as part of sweeping proposals to overhaul litigation funding mechanisms in the UK.”
Legal Week, 4th June 2009
Source: www.legalweek.com
Mohammadi v Shellpoint Trustees Ltd and another [2009] EWHC 1098 (Ch); [2009] WLR (D) 169
“When a legally assisted person’s solicitors had ceased to act, without another firm being retained under a legal aid certificate, and that fact had been communicated to the opposing party, then from the moment of that communication the litigant ceased to be a legally assisted person for the purposes of the Legal Aid Act 1988.”
WLR Daily, 21st May 2009
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
“Legal aid has ‘failed the very people it was set up to protect’ the minister in charge, told a debate hosted by the Law Society this week to mark the 60th anniversary of the Legal Aid Act.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 30th April 2009
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“The annual list of the highest paid solicitors firms and barristers from legal aid in 2007/08 has been published on the Ministry of Justice website.”
Ministry of Justice, 30th April 2009
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“A contingent legal aid fund (CLAF) could ensure access to justice and help solve the legal aid crisis, according to a report published today by a Bar Council thinktank.”
Law Society’s Gazette. 23rd April 2009
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
“A self-funding scheme to provide assistance to those deemed eligible for help in mounting civil legal claims could help to ensure access to justice for those currently ineligible for legal aid but without the means to enforce their rights. The idea comes in a new report commissioned by the Bar Council’s Policy Advisory Group ‘think tank’.”
The Bar Council, 23rd April 2009
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
“The potential human cost of denying vulnerable families and children access to expert legal support in care and related cases is revealed today in a dossier of case studies, which shows the difficulties which are already being encountered by family barristers as they seek to represent their clients to the best of their abilities.”
The Bar Council, 21st April 2009
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
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