Legal aid focus

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Roger Smith sets out a vision for a national legal aid service—& how we might go about funding it

Lawyers have welcomed changes to the means test for legal aid, but expressed concern at the ‘slow’ rate of progress.

An all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on access to justice will be launched in Parliament by the Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk on 20 June.

Ten years after LASPO—what’s the damage? In his column in this week’s NLJ, Jon Robins, vice chair of the Legal Action Group, assesses the state of access to justice in England and Wales, and finds it wanting.

A decade after the ruinous cuts brought about by LASPO 2012, what is the extent of the impact on the legal aid sector? Jon Robins surveys the wreckage

Grandparents taking on the care of vulnerable children as special guardians could miss out on an extension to legal aid, the Law Society has warned.

The Law Society has launched a ‘21st Century Justice project’, with a remit for working groups to prepare for the future in five key areas.

The proper funding of our justice system, so neglected by recent governments, is a vital issue for our society and it demands urgent action, says Geoffrey Bindman KC

The government has extended legal aid in private and public family law cases, and changed the evidential requirements for domestic abuse.

The Law Society applied to the High Court last week for permission to bring a judicial review of the government’s implementation of Sir Christopher Bellamy’s recommendations following his Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

International hospitality and leisure specialist joins corporate team as partner

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Firm appoints head of intellectual property to drive northern growth

NEWS

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NLJ this week: No such thing as a ‘Welsh seat’

Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot

NLJ this week: Jury reform risks justice for efficiency’s sake

The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’

NLJ this week: Crypto fightback offers ‘new frontier for law’

A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes

NLJ this week: Time to revive the duty to report crime?

After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent

NLJ this week: When are experts truly ‘necessary’?

Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25

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Legal aid focus

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven