Legal aid: Woman in abuse case challenges rules – BBC News
‘A woman is challenging rules which deprived her of legal aid for action to protect her from her former partner.’
BBC News, 9th June 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: legal aid
Coronavirus: Trial backlog ‘adding to risk of mob justice’ – BBC News
‘ “Mob justice” could increase in England and Walesunless more money is made available to clear the backlog of court cases swollen by coronavirus, the government has been warned.’
BBC News, 29th May 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Too scared to speak out’: young legal aid lawyers highlight Covid-19 pressures – Law Society’s Gazette
‘Furloughed but asked to work, starting work at 5am, prevented from working from home despite living with vulnerable parents – these are some of the shocking stories to emerge from a survey of junior legal aid lawyers.’
Law Society's Gazette, 9th April 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Legal aid lawyers call for government support over Covid-19 – Legal Futures
‘Criminal defence solicitors have called for expedited legal aid payments and an extension of the business rate holiday to law firms with contracts to combat the impact of Covid-19.’
Legal Futures, 17th March 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
JusticeWatch: Legal aid’s failing safety net – Legal Voice
‘Almost four out of 10 legal aid firms do not use the LASPO ‘safety net’ and make exceptional case funding applications, according to a new study by the Public Law Project – reported on the Justice Gap (here). More then three-quarters believed the scheme was not effective. The PLP survey by Professor Joe Tomlinson and Emma Marshall drew on responses between from 89 legal aid providers and other groups providing legal advice and was conducted in October/ November last year. The aim was to engage with providers working in four areas – immigration, family, housing and welfare benefits. Researchers identified 1,276 organisations with a legal aid contract working across these four areas.’
Legal Voice, 21st February 2020
Source: legalvoice.org.uk
Solicitor lied about backdating legal aid forms – Legal Futures
‘A young solicitor who botched the backdating of legal aid forms and then lied about it to his employer has agreed to leave the profession.’
Legal Futures, 24th February 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Out of time but not out of mind – Nearly Legal
‘We saw the High Court in this case take an incredibly strict approach to homelessness section 204 appeal timescales (our report), deciding that seeking legal aid representation could not be a good reason for filing an appeal out of time because, well, the substance of any appeal should be obvious to an unrepresented homeless applicant. We expressed considerable doubts about the realism of this decision at the time. Now, as it turns out, the Court of Appeal has had similar doubts.’
Nearly Legal, 2nd February 2020
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
Applicant wins Court of Appeal battle over whether difficulty finding legal advisers was “good reason” for delay in homelessness appeal – Local Government Lawyer
‘The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court ruling that the fact a homeless applicant was unrepresented and seeking legal aid was not a “good reason” for delay in bringing an appeal under s.204 of the Housing Act 1996 against an adverse review decision under the homelessness provisions of that Act.’
Local Government Lawyer, 31st January 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Criminal legal aid solicitor struck off for accounts rule breaches – Legal Futures
‘A solicitor has been struck off after nearly 40 years in practice after admitting that the difficulties of relying on payment from criminal legal aid work overwhelmed him.’
Legal Futures, 21st January 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Guildford pub bomb inquest family ‘never going to get justice’ – BBC News
‘A woman who lost her soldier sister in the Guildford pub bombings has said her family are “never going to get justice” even though the inquest has resumed.’
BBC News, 18th December 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Legal aid firm loses JR over contract withdrawal – Legal Futures
‘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
