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A statutory right to justice is needed to resolve the legal aid crisis, according to the final report of the Bach Commission.
The commission, chaired by Labour’s former justice minister Lord Bach, and set up by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, said a Right to Justice Act would be monitored and enforced by a Justice Commission.
To address the current ‘crisis’ in access to justice, it proposed urgent policy changes, including increasing the number of people eligible for legal aid by reforming the means test and restoring legal aid for early advice.
During the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC, gave his backing to limited legal aid reform. Speaking at a fringe event organised by LawWorks he accepted that gaps in provision had created ‘unfairness’ and said ‘there is a strong case for a significant increase in funding for early advice’.
At an event organised by the Society of Conservative Lawyers with the Bar Council and Law Society, the Lord Chancellor, David Lidington, said the government will ‘soon’ launch its post-legislative review of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
It will, he said, provide an ‘opportunity to take stock and to see whether there are good arguments for specific changes to be made’. But, he stressed: ‘I’m not going to pretend that I have a crock of gold that the Chancellor has suddenly presented me with.’
A statutory right to justice is needed to resolve the legal aid crisis, according to the final report of the Bach Commission.
The commission, chaired by Labour’s former justice minister Lord Bach, and set up by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, said a Right to Justice Act would be monitored and enforced by a Justice Commission.
To address the current ‘crisis’ in access to justice, it proposed urgent policy changes, including increasing the number of people eligible for legal aid by reforming the means test and restoring legal aid for early advice.
During the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC, gave his backing to limited legal aid reform. Speaking at a fringe event organised by LawWorks he accepted that gaps in provision had created ‘unfairness’ and said ‘there is a strong case for a significant increase in funding for early advice’.
At an event organised by the Society of Conservative Lawyers with the Bar Council and Law Society, the Lord Chancellor, David Lidington, said the government will ‘soon’ launch its post-legislative review of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
It will, he said, provide an ‘opportunity to take stock and to see whether there are good arguments for specific changes to be made’. But, he stressed: ‘I’m not going to pretend that I have a crock of gold that the Chancellor has suddenly presented me with.’
Far-ranging month for the Chair of the Bar
Endometriosis Awareness North, a charity raising awareness of endometriosis and supporting those affected across the North of England, has received a £500 boost from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the most recent data on alcohol misuse in the UK, and the implications for alcohol testing in family proceedings
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how tailored financial planning can help barristers take control of their finances and plan with confidence
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
A £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs has been made to the leading UK charity tackling international parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders
Seeing the full picture – Baljit Ubhey OBE outlines the CPS action plan to tackle violence against women and girls, offering insights directly relevant to courtroom practice
Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider – Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Is the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office process fit for purpose? Women barristers’ experiences of bullying are not being reported or, if they are, they are not making it through the system, says Tana Adkin KC
Review by Daniel Barnett
Chair of the Bar reports back
