House of Commons inquiry – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 2nd, 2010 in inquiries, legal aid, news by sally

“The House of Commons’ Justice Committee has launched an inquiry into the government’s recent legal aid green paper, inviting evidence on the likely impact of the reforms on the number and quality of legal aid practitioners, and whether the government’s civil justice proposals mirror the Jackson report.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 2nd December 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal aid solicitors overpaid by £77m – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 1st, 2010 in fees, legal aid, news, solicitors by sally

“Legal aid solicitors have been overpaid by almost £77m, according to a report published today by public spending watchdog, the National Audit Office.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 30th November 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

The Epilim case shows the flaws in the legal aid regime – The Guardian

Posted November 29th, 2010 in birth, legal aid, medicines, news, personal injuries by sally

“Families who claim the epilepsy drug was linked to birth defects have few options left after the LSC withdrew funding.”

Full story

The Guardian, 29th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Whitehall proposals ignore people who could fill civil legal aid void – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 29th, 2010 in legal aid, news by sally

“The most common reaction to last week’s Ministry of Justice green paper on legal aid is shock. That shock is manifested among legal aid practitioners, clients and the groups that speak for clients.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 25th November 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal aid cuts could make pro bono work a social duty for law firms – The Guardian

Posted November 22nd, 2010 in law firms, legal aid, news, pro bono work by sally

“Is it a good idea to rely on organisations whose priority is making money to provide legal advice for those who can’t afford it?”

Full story

The Guardian, 19th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Bar owner cleared of GBH faces £9,000 legal bill after court refuses to pay for his top QC – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 19th, 2010 in barristers, costs, fees, legal aid, news by sally

“An innocent businessman faces a £9,000 legal bill after judges ruled that the taxpayer should not have to pay for the leading criminal barrister who defended him.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 18th November 2010

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Neuberger: mediation is no substitute for justice – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 18th, 2010 in dispute resolution, legal aid, news by sally

“Mediation ‘cannot be a substitute for justice’, the master of the rolls warned this week, in a view that appears sharply at odds with government proposals to replace many legal aid-funded cases with alternative dispute resolution.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 18th November 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal aid: annotated government proposals for reform – The Guardian

Posted November 17th, 2010 in budgets, legal aid, news by sally

“Legal affairs correspondent, Afua Hirsch, dissects the green paper on legal aid and gives her views on the most important passages. Click on the highlighted paragraphs to read their comments or use the annotations bar at the top of the page to flick through them.”

Proposal for Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales

The Guardian, 17th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Bar Council Says That the Time Is Right to Consult on Legal Aid and Civil Justice, but Warns of Need for Safeguards to Protect Vulnerable – The Bar Council

Posted November 16th, 2010 in civil justice, consultations, legal aid, news by sally

“The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has said that the launch of Government consultations on reform of the legal aid system and on civil litigation is necessary but the impact of the proposals on the most vulnerable must be considered very carefully.”

Full story

The Bar Council, 15th November 2010

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Legal aid cuts: surprise exceptions take out the sting – The Guardian

Posted November 16th, 2010 in legal aid, news by sally

“The justice secretary, Kenneth Clarke, worked hard today to try to remove some of the political sting from his much-anticipated unveiling of swingeing legal aid cuts. The scale of the reductions – £350m a year to be taken out of a £914m-a-year civil and family legal aid budget by 2014 – had been widely anticipated.”

Full story

The Guardian, 15th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal aid cuts are a brutal shrinkage of justice – The Guardian

Posted November 16th, 2010 in barristers, civil justice, criminal justice, legal aid, news by sally

“The scope of Kenneth Clarke’s mooted reforms is breathtaking, and the legal aid cuts introduced as part of this process are brutal. A raft of reforms, from criminal justice right the way through to the funding of clinical negligence claims, are now up in the air.”

Full story

The Guardian, 15th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal aid cuts would remove free advice for thousands of people – The Guardian

Posted November 16th, 2010 in family courts, housing, legal aid, news by sally

“Hundreds of thousands of people with family and housing law problems will no longer have access to free legal advice under government proposals announced today (15 November).”

Full story

The Guardian, 15th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Epilim test case: Menzies Campbell accuses Legal Services Commission – The Guardian

Posted November 9th, 2010 in legal aid, medicines, news, personal injuries by sally

“The government’s legal aid body was today accused of acting as ‘judge and jury’ by withdrawing state funding from a test case by families of disabled children against a pharmaceutical company.”

Full story

The Guardian, 9th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Mental health patients face legal aid delay – The Guardian

Posted November 9th, 2010 in legal aid, mental health, news, tribunals by sally

“People with mental health problems are finding it increasingly difficult to get lawyers to represent them at tribunals because of changes to the legal aid system.”

Full story

The Guardian, 9th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New legal aid court challenge set to proceed – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 8th, 2010 in legal aid, news, protective costs orders, tenders by sally

“A High Court judge has refused an injunction that could have further delayed the start of the new mental health and public law legal aid contracts – but awarded a protective costs order to enable a legal challenge to the two Legal Services Commission tender processes.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 8th November 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Families denied legal aid for epilepsy drug court case – BBC news

Posted November 8th, 2010 in birth, legal aid, news, personal injuries by sally

“Dozens of families who blame an epilepsy drug for causing birth defects in their children say they are devastated that legal aid to sue its maker has been withdrawn.”

Full story

BBC News, 8th November 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ombudsman to investigate complaints against LSC – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 5th, 2010 in fees, legal aid, maladministration, news, ombudsmen by sally

“The Parliamentary Ombudsman is to investigate complaints of maladministration made against the Legal Services Commission by the Law Society and several law firms over its late claims to recoup payments made on account.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 4th November 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Post-CSR Legal Aid Notice from the Bar Council – The Bar Council

Posted October 21st, 2010 in barristers, budgets, legal aid, news by sally

“Following today’s (20 October) statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the Comprehensive Spending Review, we have spoken with Jonathan Djanogly, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, about the Ministry’s contribution to reducing the deficit.”

Full story

The Bar Council, 20th October 2010

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Lawyers issue warning over Lord Young’s compensation proposals – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 21st, 2010 in compensation, costs, legal aid, news, personal injuries by sally

“The government must not hinder access to justice for personal injury victims as it takes forward Lord Young’s report on the ‘compensation culture’, lawyers’ groups have warned.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 21st October 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Lawyers put forward alternatives to legal aid cuts – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 20th, 2010 in budgets, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

“The Law Society has warned the government against hitting the most vulnerable by making legal aid bear the brunt of the Ministry of Justice cuts.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 19th October 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk