Legal aid focus

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Members of the public across the three main parties support legal aid, research has shown.

Lawyers have welcomed the ‘long overdue’ review into civil legal aid, but expressed concern about the timescale and called for immediate action to prevent collapse.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) plans to recruit up to 1,100 judges and tribunal members and 4,000 more magistrates in 2022-23, according to its annual report and accounts for 2021-22.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced that the government will be undertaking a review looking into ways to better the civil legal aid market through improving the sustainability of the legal aid system for people facing civil and family legal issues.

One solicitor had a piece of air conditioning fall on their head at a magistrate’s court in Manchester, while another solicitor reports from a London Crown Court that ‘everything is falling apart… ceilings leak, toilets leak… mould everywhere’.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) recently launched (under the previous Lord Chancellor) a ‘one-stop shop’ online information tool offering key statistics on prisons, probation and the courts.

The Ministry of Justice’s ‘one-stop shop’ for data is a promising start, but nowhere near a finished result, says Roger Smith

Criminal law solicitors could follow the Bar’s example and down tools following justice secretary Dominic Raab’s final response to the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Legal Aid Agency and Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, have announced that solicitors will see a further £21m investment in fees and long-term reforms and an extra £138m will be spent annually on legal aid ‘to ensure long-term sustainability’.

The justice budget suffered a ‘real terms cut’ in the Autumn Statement this week, lawyers have warned, despite Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s pledge to protect public services.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

NEWS

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NLJ this week: Property cases reshape established principles

A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land

NLJ this week: Stress ruling raises the bar for employers

Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee

NLJ this week: Can Manchesterism revive access to justice?

Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE

NLJ this week: Constitutional conventions tested as power changes hands

The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition

NLJ this week: Lawyers must become product designers

The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London

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Legal aid focus

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron