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Dear Minister for Justice, I note that in your address to the Society of Labour Lawyers you asked for the help of the legal profession in finding out why England and Wales spend more on legal aid than 'any other nation'. I am somewhat surprised that you...
First, a tip of the hat to John Bolch at Family Lore for spotting that the LSC has increased its provision of grants to for 'legal aid' traineeships by 100, on top of the current 492 (apparently, but only 71 firms involved?). While the grants might seem like...
A few more details on R(Southwark Law Centre) v Legal Services Commission [2007] EWHC 1715 (Admin), which I mentioned a few days ago. First, it is worth noting that Mr Justice Collins effectively said that 'net rent' for the purposes of the LSC entitlement...
I meant to post about this one a month ago but got sidetracked. A case for any civil legal aid people to note. Funding Certificates are means-tested. Funding issued by practioners under devloved powers can be and is yanked by the Legal Services Commission if...
Well that was quick. A few days and an intensive reminder of why I don't like defending ASB possession cases later and the holiday seems like nothing but an eye blink, already distant. Still, it was lovely while it lasted, although it always comes as a bit...
The Society of Asian Lawyers and the Black Solicitors Network judicial review of the LSC proposals has been settled after an adjournment on the basis that the LSC carry out a full retrospective and prospective cumulative Race Equality Impact Assessment. (See...
[To any non-UK readers arriving from Blawg Review, this is the latest element in the long saga of proposed reforms to legal aid funding in England. The Legal Services Commission funds legal advice and representation in some areas for the poor, undertaken by...
These are tough times for Criminal practices. There are anecdotal reports of floods of practioners trying to get jobs with the CPS, getting out of the profession, or even (shudder) trying to switch to conveyancing (just in time for Tesco Law to wipe out that...
Commenting about anonymity on another blog a few days ago, I realised I hadn't posted anything meriting a digital balaclava for ages. Time to put that right, because I have more spleen to throw at the LSC than ought to be anatomically possible. Not for its...
The Constitutional Affairs committee report seems to have galvanised opposition to the reforms, even if met with a profound silence from the LSC/MoJ. The Access to Justice Alliance plans a week of action for next week, including demonstrations outside...
... to Oliver Heald MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs. Four posts ago, I wrote a distinctly sceptical response to a comment from Oliver Heald on my post about the report of the Consitutional Affairs Committee on the legal aid reforms....
The release of the final report of the Parliamentary Consitutional Affairs committee on the DCA/LSC proposed changes to legal aid funding was, I thought, an important moment in the wrestle over the future of legal aid. So I posted about it. Imagine my...