The Law Society council has voted to help fund a judicial review challenging the consultation process of the Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps proposals. The legal challenge will be brought against the Ministry of Justice by the London Criminal Courts Solicitors' Association and the Criminal Law Solicitors' Association. It will focus on the preparation of a report by KPMG on the appropriate number of duty contracts to award, and argue the report was not released to appropriate consultees, rendering the process unfair. It is offering to pay £30,000 costs for mediation between the government and criminal law solicitors and, if unsuccessful, a further £45,000 for the judicial review.
