‘There is no basis for a law firm’s challenge to a Legal Aid Agency (LAA) decision to reject its tender for a legal aid contract, the High Court has ruled.’
Legal Futures, 9th December 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘A new breed of untrained legal advocates who are ripping off the public with “flawed” and “dangerous” legal advice should be banned, lawyers’ leaders and politicians have urged ministers.’
Daily Telegraph, 8th December 2019
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘The number of unrepresented defendants in crown courts is rising sharply, the head of the Criminal Bar Association has warned, as cuts to legal aid increasingly affect the criminal justice system.’
The Guardian, 24th November 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Litigants in person and solicitors should go through the Legal Aid Agency, not the High Court, for public funding in civil contempt proceedings, a judge has said in a bid to clear up confusion over who has the power to grant legal aid.’
Law Society's Gazette, 15th November 2019
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Denying access to justice risks creating fresh conflicts at a time when the international rule of law is under threat, the Commonwealth secretary general has warned ahead of a meeting of the organisation’s law enforcement officers.’
The Guardian, 5th November 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Vulnerable migrant children who have been separated from their parents will get quicker and simpler access to legal aid, after new government legislation came into force today (25 October 2019). The Legal Aid for Separated Children Order 2019 will bring non-asylum immigration and citizenship matters into the scope of legal aid for under 18s who are not in the care of a parent, guardian or legal authority.’
Ministry of Justice, 25th October 2019
Source: www.gov.www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
‘Every year, mental health trusts spend millions of pounds employing lawyers to represent them at inquests, where they could be found to be at fault. The relatives of those who have died, however, often get no legal aid and have to stand up and face those lawyers alone. Becky Montacute describes her bid to ensure that the lessons from her mother’s death were learned.’
BBC News, 1st October 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The former lord chancellor Chris Grayling “never believed access to social justice” was important while Liz Truss was a “disaster” in the same role, according to a highly revealing memoir by one of the country’s most senior, recently retired judges.’
The Guardian, 21st August 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Parents shocked by the sudden closure of a residential unit at a special needs school in Bristol, which resulted in children with severe and complex learning difficulties having to move out, have won legal aid funding to investigate a possible challenge to the lawfulness of the decision.’
The Guardian, 19th August 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘I go home each night worrying about my clients. I wonder who would know if something bad ever happened to them.’
The Guardian, 19th August 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Four leading legal charities have urged the government to delay next year’s whiplash reforms over fears that litigants in person and the organisations supporting them will be overwhelmed by the new regime.’
Legal Futures, 13th August 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Celebrations and policy campaigns continue to mark a 100 years of women in law. In 2017, as reported in the Law Society’s Annual Statistics Report Flyer 2018 ‘for the first time, the number of female practising certificate (PC) holders exceeded male colleagues…women made up 50.1% of all PC holders – up from 43.4% in 2007.’ Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) professionals as practising solicitors were at its highest at 16.5% of the profession. While significant strives have been made, little attention has been paid to the impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) on the role of diversity, with particular reference to women and BAME, in family law.’
Family Law, 5th August 2019
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
‘The UK’s most senior judge has appealed for people to give money to a charity whose volunteers support those who become embroiled in civil court cases but cannot afford a lawyer.’
The Guardian, 28th July 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Draft legislation will bring immigration and citizenship matters into the scope of legal aid for separated migrant children.’
Ministry of Justice, 22nd July 2019
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
‘The High Court has described as “reasonable” a decision by claimant lawyers that they needed the “freedom” of a conditional fee agreement (CFA) and shake off “the shackles” of legal aid to properly conduct a medical negligence claim.’
Litigation Futures, 24th July 2019
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Half of all law centres and not-for-profit legal advice services in England and Wales have closed over the past six years, according to government figures.’
The Guardian, 15th July 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
© Inner Temple Library 2019