Category: legal aid

R (Main) v Minister for Legal Aid – WLR Daily

Posted November 22nd, 2007 in human rights, inquests, law reports, legal aid by sally

R (Main) v Minister for Legal Aid [2007] EWCA Civ 1147

“In refusing an application for discretionary funding for full legal representation at an inquest into deaths following a rail accident, the Minister for Legal Aid had not acted irrationally in concluding that no significant wider public interest would be compromised, nor did the refusal constitute a breach of art 2 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.”

WLR Daily, 21st November 2007

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed. 

Inquest families must not get legal aid, judges rule – The Times

Posted November 20th, 2007 in inquests, legal aid, news by sally

“Bereaved families cannot generally claim legal aid for inquests or it will ‘risk imposing an unjustified burden’ on the system, the Court of Appeal ruled yesterday.”

Full story

The Times, 20th November 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Grieving families call for legal aid to fight MoD – The Independent on Sunday

Posted October 15th, 2007 in Afghanistan, armed forces, inquests, Iraq, legal aid, news by sally

“Families of British service personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are being obstructed by the MoD in their efforts to discover how their children died, it was claimed yesterday.”

Full story

The Independent on Sunday, 14th October 2007

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Cashflow crisis – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 12th, 2007 in fees, legal aid, special report by sally

“This month marks the beginning of a new era in civil legal aid. but many who work in the field believe the arrival of fixed fees is a disaster for the profession. Jon Robins reports.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 11th October 2007

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Vos calls for end to barristers’ hourly billing – Legal Week

Posted October 4th, 2007 in barristers, fees, legal aid, news by sally

“Legal aid barristers should stop billing by the hour and move towards fixed fees, Bar Council chairman Geoffrey Vos stated in his speech at the Conservative Party Conference yesterday (2 October).”

Full story

Legal Week, 3rd October 2007

Source: www.legalweek.com

Warning signals – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 28th, 2007 in legal aid, special report by sally

“The future of legal aid remains under threat unless the government changes its stubborn approach to reforms and, as Alan Beith tells Rupert White, carefully rethinks its policies.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 27th September 2007

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Reforms spell ‘disaster’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 28th, 2007 in legal aid, news, solicitors by sally

“Proposed reforms to criminal defence legal aid contracts risk ‘pushing the defence service towards disaster’ and should be resisted ‘to the end’, Roger Peach, the president of the Criminal Defence Solicitors’ Union has warned.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 27th September 2007

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Reform school – The Lawyer

Posted September 12th, 2007 in barristers, legal aid, legal services, special report by sally

“As the Carter and Clementi reforms start to take effect, how will the commercial bar fare under the new regime? Industry experts consider their likely impact.”

Full story

The Lawyer, 10th September 2007

Source: www.thelawyer.com

LSC appeals LawSoc’s High Court legal aid win – Legal Week

Posted September 7th, 2007 in Law Society, legal aid, news by sally

“The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is to appeal against the Law Society’s High Court victory on legal aid, the body announced last night (5 September).”

Full story

Legal Week, 6th September 2007

Source: www.legalweek.com

David Truex (a Firm) v Kitchin – Times Law Reports

Posted August 29th, 2007 in law reports, legal aid, solicitors by sally

Solicitor’s legal aid duty

David Truex (a Firm) v Kitchin

Court of Appeal

“A solicitor should not take instructions and incur costs gathering information relating to contemplated proceedings and only when that information suggested that the client was eligible for public funding advise that a different firm could become involved.”

The Times, 29th August 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.

Regina (Southwark Law Centre) v. Legal Services Commission – Times Law Reports

Posted August 20th, 2007 in law reports, legal aid by sally

‘Net rent payable’ is not the same as rent paid

Regina (Southwark Law Centre) v Legal Services Commission; Regina (Dennis) v Same

Queen’s Bench Division

“Where a calculation of disposable income was being carried out for the purposes of assessing a person’s entitlement to publicly funded legal representation, the net rent payable by that person had to be taken into account rather than the net rent actually paid.”

The Times, 20th August 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.

Law Society lands shock legal aid review win – Legal Week

Posted July 28th, 2007 in judicial review, legal aid, legal services, news by sally

“The Law Society has dealt a major blow to the Government’s controversial plans to reform the £2bn legal aid system after a High Court judge upheld the bulk of the body’s objections to the proposals.”

Full story

Legal Week, 27th July 2007

Source: www.legalweek.com

Legal giants pour scorn on Labour’s record – The Times

Posted July 28th, 2007 in criminal justice, judiciary, legal aid, Ministry of Justice, news by sally

“A group of the UK’s most influential barristers has severely criticised the Labour Government’s treatment of the UK legal system over the past ten years.”

Full story

The Times, 27th July 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

BME judicial review withdrawn – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 27th, 2007 in judicial review, legal aid, legal profession, minorities, news by sally

“The Black Solicitors Network (BSN) and the Society of Asian Lawyers (SAL) have withdrawn their joint judicial review action over the government’s legal aid reforms.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 26th July 2007

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Carter judicial review settles – The Lawyer

Posted July 20th, 2007 in judicial review, legal aid, legal profession, minorities, news by sally

“The much-anticipated judicial review brought by black and Asian lawyers against the Government’s Carter reforms ended abruptly yesterday (19 July) after the application was withdrawn.”

Full story

The Lawyer, 20th July 2007

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Ethnic minority firms challenge Straw in High Court over legal aid – The Guardian

Posted July 9th, 2007 in law firms, legal aid, minorities, news by sally

“Jack Straw will face his first court challenge as Lord Chancellor next week when the Law Society, the Commission for Racial Equality and  ethnic minority lawyers go to the High Court to try to halt the government’s controversial shake-up of legal aid.”

Full story

The Guardian, 9th July 2007

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Solicitors accuse MoJ of ‘wilful blindness’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 29th, 2007 in legal aid, news by sally

“Solicitors condemned the ‘wilful blindness’ of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) this week in refusing to acknowledge the severe threat its reforms pose to the legal aid system, after the government shrugged off damning criticisms from a cross-party committee of MPs and announced its intention to press ahead with the controversial plans.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 28th June 2007

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Highest paid barristers and solicitors firms in legal aid 2005/06 – Ministry of Justice

Posted June 26th, 2007 in barristers, law firms, legal aid, news, remuneration by sally

“A breakdown of the ten highest paid criminal and civil barristers and solicitor firms from the criminal defence service and the community legal service. The information covers 2005 and 2006. A section on frequently asked questions about legal aid fees is also included in the document.”

Highest paid barristers and solicitors firms in legal aid 2005/06 (PDF)

Ministry of Justice, 25th June 2007

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Barrister gets £1.1m in a year from legal aid – The Guardian

Posted June 26th, 2007 in barristers, legal aid, news, remuneration by sally

“A lawyer from Birmingham has become the most highly paid legal aid barrister in the country after pulling in more than £1.1m last year.”

Full story

The Guardian, 26th June 2007

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal aid reform is about helping as many as possible – Ministry of Justice

Posted June 25th, 2007 in legal aid, news, press releases by sally

“Lord Falconer today (22 June) said legal aid reform would ensure as many people as possible were helped within the resources available by encouraging efficient working practices in the legal profession.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice press release, 22nd June 2007

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Related link: Government’s response to the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee’s report of May 2007