Barristers and solicitors walk out over cuts to legal aid fees – The Guardian

‘Criminal courts across England and Wales will be severely disrupted on Monday morning when barristers and solicitors stage an unprecedented mass walkout in protest at government plans to slash legal aid fees by up to 30%.’

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The Guardian, 5th January 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

This month’s costs cases summaries: appeals, unjust enrichment and Mitchell – Litigation Futures

Posted December 10th, 2013 in appeals, budgets, case management, civil procedure rules, costs, litigants in person, news by tracey

‘Our monthly summary of key costs-related court decisions.’

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Litigation Futures, 9th December 2013

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

‘Disastrous’ drop in out-of-court mediation for divorcing couples – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 29th, 2013 in arbitration, courts, divorce, legal aid, litigants in person, news by sally

“The number of divorcing couples using special out-of-court sessions to settle disputes over property and children has collapsed in the wake of legal aid cuts.”

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Daily Telegraph, 28th October 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

A Handbook for Litigants in Person – Judiciary of England and Wales

Posted October 23rd, 2013 in courts, legal aid, litigants in person, press releases by tracey

“A guide to appearing in civil cases without legal representation has been produced and published by the judiciary.”

Full guide

Judiciary of England and Wales, 22nd October 2013

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Lord Neuberger: Don’t restrict right to judicial review – Daily Telegraph

“The Government should not restrict people from seeking judicial review, the UK’s most senior judge has warned.”

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Daily Telegraph, 15th October 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

‘A rank denial of justice’ for vulnerable people: Senior judge attacks plan to cut legal aid by £350m – The Independent

“Britain’s most senior judge has warned the Government that its proposed cuts to the legal aid budget could mean ‘a rank denial of justice’ for vulnerable people.”

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The Independent, 15th October 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Grieve: legal aid cuts hurt, but bar is just too big – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 2nd, 2013 in attorney general, barristers, budgets, legal aid, litigants in person, news by tracey

“Attorney general Dominic Grieve has spoken of his sympathy for lawyers affected by the legal aid cuts – but insisted the legal sector cannot be immune from austerity measures.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 30th September 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Mediation services hit by legal aid cuts, Ministry of Justice figures reveal – The Guardian

“Government attempts to promote mediation as an alternative to expensive courtroom divorce and custody battles are failing, according to figures obtained through freedom of information requests.”

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The Guardian, 30th September 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

BSB hopes JR will close floodgates on costs – Legal Futures

“The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is to judicially review (JR) a disciplinary tribunal decision ordering that an acquitted barrister who represented herself be paid £27,500 in costs, fearing that if it went unchallenged similar claims could follow.”

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Legal Futures, 27th August 2013

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

The last Englishman – New Law Journal

“James Wilson salutes an iconic litigant in person.”

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New Law Journal, 26th July 2013

Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk

McNally under fire over Lips claim – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 16th, 2013 in delay, legal representation, litigants in person, news by sally

“Justice minister Lord McNally is facing criticism from lawyers over a claim that cases involving litigants in person (LiPs) are ‘normally’ completed more quickly than those where parties have legal representation.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 15th July 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Woman won harrassment case against ‘bullying bank’ – Daily Telegraph

“A woman has won a case of harassment against her bank after she was plagued by more than 500 calls for missing a single loan payment.”

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Daily Telegraph, 8th July 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

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Judges call for urgent overhaul to cope with surge of LIPs – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 8th, 2013 in judiciary, legal aid, legal education, litigants in person, news by sally

“The government and judicial office must overhaul training, advice to litigants and the nature of the court process itself to deal with thousands more litigants in person (LIPs), a judicial working group has concluded.”

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Law Society’s Gazette, 5th July 2013

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

The Judicial Working Group on Litigants in Person – Judiciary of England and Wales

“The Judicial Working Group on Litigants in Person – Report, July 2013.”

Full report

Judiciary of England and Wales, 5th July 2013

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Legal aid cuts: ‘a return to widespread miscarriages of justice’ – The Guardian

“What impact will the latest raft of legal aid cuts have on people fighting councils or who are wrongly accused of a crime? We ask former defendants, their families, lawyers and experts.”

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The Guardian, 2nd July 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Will Article 6 come to the rescue after the legal aid reforms? – UK Human Rights Blog

“The absence of legal representation for defendants to an action for debt who contended they could not speak English resulted in the High Court granting an application that the trial be adjourned for a second time. The judgment is a good example of the interaction of Article 6 ECHR (right to a fair trial) with the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR).”

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UK Human Rights Blog, 26th June 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Judges and Policy: A Delicate Balance – Speech by Lord Neuberger

Judges and Policy: A Delicate Balance (PDF)

Speech by Lord Neuberger

Institute for Government, 18th June 2013

Source: www.supremecourt.gov.uk

Short Cuts – London Review of Books

“A fundamental shift in the relationship between the government and the governed is taking place: by restricting access to the law, the state is handing itself an alarming immunity from legal scrutiny. There are several aspects to this: the partial or total withdrawal of state financial support for people who lack the means to pay for legal advice and representation; and for those who can pay, a restriction on which kinds of decision by public bodies can be challenged. In the area in which I work, criminal law, defendants who receive legal aid will lose the right to choose who represents them in court. Meanwhile, the misleadingly named Justice and Security Act, passed earlier this year, enables the government to conceal evidence from litigants by using national security as a trump card. All this is accompanied by an unbending hostility to human rights law, tainted by its association with Europe, even though this legislation at least offers the weak the possibility of redress for abuses by public authorities.”

Full story

London Review of Books, 6th June 2013

Source: www.lrb.co.uk

Legal aid cuts: What has changed? – BBC News

“Significant changes to civil legal aid in England and Wales came into effect on 1 April 2013, as part of a plan to reform the system and save £350m a year.”

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BBC News, 18th June 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Family courts face collapse – LegalVoice

Posted June 13th, 2013 in domestic violence, family courts, legal aid, litigants in person, news by sally

“The family courts were under unprecedented pressure in the month following the introduction of the LASPO cuts which removed legal aid from most family cases, reports Jon Robins. Cafcass, which looks after the interests of children involved in family proceedings, reported that in May there were a total of 5,061 new private law cases ‘representing the highest ever month on record’. The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 removed legal aid for all family cases except where was evidence of domestic violence as of April.”

Full story

LegalVoice, 13th June 2013

Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk