Asbestos exemption to ‘no-win, no-fee’ changes
“Sufferers of asbestos-related cancer will initially be exempt from government changes to ‘no-win, no-fee’ rules, a justice minister has said.”
BBC News, 24th April 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: legal aid
Lords block legal aid bill again – The Guardian
“The government has suffered a fresh round of defeats in the House of Lords over austerity plans to cut legal aid, setting up a constitutional confrontation between the two houses of parliament.”
The Guardian, 23rd April 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Families ‘hit by legal aid plans’ – BBC News
“Thousands of vulnerable people facing family breakdown could end up without legal representation because of planned changes to legal aid, according to a legal group.”
BBC News, 21st April 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Court chaos as hard-up couples try DIY divorce – The Guardian
“The biggest shake-up of divorce in a generation is in danger of creating a two-tier system, with wealthier couples benefitting far more than less well-off couples. The warning comes as a survey of more than 6,500 divorce lawyers found that new guidelines, requiring couples to look at mediation as an alternative to using courts, were largely being ignored.”
The Guardian, 22nd April 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Still suffering from an accident for which you weren’t to blame? – The Guardian
“To nobody’s surprise, the government last night rejected arguments on behalf of mesothelioma sufferers and overturned a Lords amendment that would have exempted them from the effects of Part 2 of the legal aid bill (known as the Jackson reforms).”
The Guardian, 18th April 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Ken Clarke climbs down on legal aid for domestic violence – The Guardian
“Victims of domestic violence will be given greater access to legal aid to fund civil cases against abusive partners, Kenneth Clarke announced on Tuesday as the government made a U-turn on some of its controversial reforms. The justice secretary described the amendments to the legal aid, sentencing and punishment of offenders bill as ‘fairly formidable’.”
The Guardian, 17th April 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Bar Council Calls on Government to Accept Vital Legal Aid Amendments – The Bar Council
“As the House of Commons prepares today to consider amendments passed in the House of Lords to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Bill, the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has called on the Government to accept these vital changes.”
The Bar Council, 17th April 2012
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
Repossession day in court: ten minutes with a lawyer, five before a judge – The Guardian
“Legally-aided advice desk at Clerkenwell and Shoreditch county court is a vital service for clients who may lose their homes.”
The Guardian, 16th April 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Thousands of children’ to lose legal aid in shake-up – BBC News
“Thousands of children will lose access to legal aid under government plans to shake up the system, campaigners say.”
BBC News, 17th April 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Legal aid bill puts thousands at risk, says Citizens Advice – The Guardian
“Removal of specialist support leaves those wrongly assessed vulnerable to poverty and homelessness, campaigners warn.”
The Guardian, 16th April 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Divorce could break the bank after legal aid changes next year – The Guardian
“Cash-strapped spouses who want to split from their well-off other halves could find themselves seriously out of pocket because of impending changes to the availability of legal aid.”
The Guardian, 14th April 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Law centres have always struggled to survive – now they must adapt or die – The Guardian
“Legal aid and local authority cuts mean law centres are in danger. Islington and Rochdale law centres are fighting back.”
The Guardian, 2nd April 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Michael Mansfield: ‘Risk of miscarriages of justice as great as ever’ – The Guardian
“At the Guardian’s Open Weekend, Michael Mansfield QC warns against imagining that miscarriages of justice are something that have declined since famous confession-based cases of the 1980s. In today’s world, where faulty forensic evidence is more likely to be the problem, he worries about access to justice, pointing the finger at the emasculation of the legal aid system by successive governments and a renewed attempt to erode the right to trial by jury.”
The Guardian, 2nd April 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Fresh series of defeats for proposals to cut access to legal aid for children – The Guardian
“The government has suffered a fresh series of defeats in the House of Lords over proposals to cut access to legal aid for children and in medical negligence cases.”
The Guardian, 27th March 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Justice reforms move to next stage – Ministry of Justice
“Plans for radical reforms to the justice system have moved another step forward in the Houses of Parliament.”
Ministry of Justice, 21st March 2012
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Lawyers condemn budget’s £20m legal funding gesture – Law Society’s Gazette
“Chancellor George Osborne today promised £20m a year in new funding for the not-for-profit advice sector over the next two years. The sum was immediately and widely condemned as being not enough to replace shortfalls left by spending cuts.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 21st March 2012
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Squatting law reforms ‘could cost taxpayers £790m over five years’ – The Guardian
“The cost of a new law to further criminalise squatting could run to almost 20 times official estimates, wiping out government legal aid budget savings, according to the findings of a newly published report.”
The Guardian, 16th March 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Legal aid bill suffers ninth Lords defeat – The Guardian
“The government’s embattled legal aid bill has suffered its ninth defeat in the House of Lords as peers voted against the mandatory use of telephone advice lines.”
The Guardian, 14th March 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
MPs’ caseloads will bear the brunt of legal aid cuts – Law Society’s Gazette
“MPs will face a ‘rising tide of need’ from constituents with unmet legal needs if the government’s legal aid cuts are implemented, according to a report published today [14 March] by the Young Legal Aid Lawyers (YLAL) group.”
Law Society’s Gazette, 14th March 2012
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
