‘One of the killers of Stephen Lawrence has been granted legal aid in a battle to get compensation from the Government after he was allegedly beaten up in prison.’
Daily Telegraph, 25th July 2017
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘North Kensington Law Centre was the first in the UK to offer access to justice for the poor and vulnerable. Now fighting for financial survival, the tragedy on its doorstep has meant NKLC’s services are more in demand than ever.’
The Guardian, 24th July 2017
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Judges are “left uneasy” by professionals presenting their own challenges to regulators as litigants in person (LIPs) and ignoring the “best points” available to them, the High Court has heard.’
Legal futures, 21st July 2017
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The Legal Aid Agency has been told to directly apologise and pay £10,000 to an expert witness in immigration cases for causing him distress, inconvenience and financial loss by excessively auditing his bills.’
Law Society's Gazette, 17th July 2017
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘“Quick and dirty” online dispute resolution (ODR) is better than “no justice or absurdly over-priced justice”, the president of the Supreme Court has said in a wide-ranging speech that included a devastating critique of legal aid policy over the past two decades.’
Legal Futures, 5th July 2017
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Is access to justice an essential public service, akin to state schooling and lifelong healthcare free at the point of delivery? The Law Society believes it is – or at least should be – and pushes the point hard in a damning new report on the social consequences of swingeing funding and scope cuts to civil legal aid. Barriers erected by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders act (LASPO) in 2013 have denied justice to some of the most vulnerable people in society, Chancery Lane argues in Access Denied? LASPO four years on.’
Law Society's Gazette, 3rd July 2017
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘An increasing lack of opportunities for contact between clients and law firms brought on by controversial legal aid cuts may have driven the steep decline in the number of family mediation cases, the government has admitted.’
Law Society's Gazette, 30th June 2017
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Cuts to legal aid may have stopped tenants in Grenfell Tower from pursuing safety concerns that could have prevented the fire, the president of the Law Society, Robert Bourns, has suggested.’
The Guardian, 29th June 2017
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Grenfell Action Group and residents raised repeated concerns about the apparent neglect of health and safety legislation. Whilst there are several potential causes of action, the reality for tenants is that they would have struggled to bring a claim for a number of reasons.’
Legal Voice, 23rd June 2017
Source: www.legalvoice.org.uk
‘The Grenfell Tower action group had no access to legal aid. Residents at risk in their homes want straightforward, enforceable legal remedies to keep them safe.’
The Guardian, 26th June 2017
Source: www.theguardian.com
Hyde v Milton Keynes NHS Foundation Trust [2017] EWCA Civ 399
‘The claimant brought a personal injury claim against the defendant under a Community Legal Service funding certificate which was subject to costs limitations. Although the defendant had admitted liability, quantum remained in issue. With the funding certificate nearing exhaustion and the Legal Services Commission refusing further funding, the claimant’s solicitors concluded that the case could not be completed on a funded basis. Accordingly, the claimant entered into a conditional fee agreement (“CFA”) with her solicitors. The solicitors served on the defendant notice of a change in funding arrangements but took no steps to apply for or obtain a formal discharge of the funding certificate. The claim later settled, the defendant having made an increased offer which the claimant accepted. On the assessment of costs, the costs judge concluded that the claimant was entitled to recover from the defendant her costs arising under the CFA, rejecting the defendant’s contention that the CFA was unenforceable by virtue of sections 10(1) and 22(2) of the Access to Justice Act 1999 because it had been entered into at a time when the claimant was “funded” by the commission as part of the Community Legal Service. The judge dismissed the defendant’s appeal, holding that the claimant was not “funded” by the commission, for the purposes of sections 10(1) and 22(2), once the funding certificate had been exhausted, even though the certificate had not been discharged.’
WLR Daily, 23rd May 2017
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
‘The Court of Appeal has upheld a conditional fee agreement entered into because legal aid had run out – even though the legal aid certificate had not been formally discharged.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 24th May 2017
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘“Not often” is the answer. Only if the tribunal acts in an improper way. Incompetence or unlawfulness is not sufficient.’
Free Movement, 18th May 2017
Source: www.freemovement.org.uk
‘Thurrock Council did not have power to bring prosecution proceedings on behalf of the Legal Aid Agency in relation to an alleged legal aid fraud, the Court of Appeal has ruled.’
Local Government Lawyer, 9th May 2017
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘An inquest into the death of toddler Poppi Worthington has been delayed by her father. Paul Worthington’s solicitors argue they have been left with insufficient time to prepare for the hearing, which was due to start in Kendal, Cumbria, next week, after he finally secured legal aid last week being turned down three times before.’
Daily Telegraph, 9th May 2017
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has taken over prosecution of a major legal aid fraud by a law firm after the Court of Appeal criticised the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) for trying to run the case through the fraud department of a local authority instead.’
Legal Futures, 8th May 2017
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘Defence lawyers need additional legal aid funding to help them check and challenge the increasing complexity of digital evidence gathered for criminal prosecutions, the official forensic science regulator has warned. Dr Gillian Tully told the Forensics Europe Expo in London that time pressures to meet deadlines for complying with new digital forensics standards could result in “a bit of a car crash” if firms are not ready in time.’
The Guardian, 3rd May 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘A crowdfunding campaign to judicially review a partial hospital closure in Devon has won backing from Honition Town Council’
Local Government Lawyer, 26th April 2017
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The Court of Appeal last week partially granted an application for judicial review of the cuts to Legal Aid in certain categories of prison law. The judgment may change the face of legal representation for prisoners across the UK.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 18th April 2017
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
© Inner Temple Library 2017