*/
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.’
Chair of the Bar sets out a busy calendar for the rest of the year
Why Virtual Assistants Can Meet the Legal Profession’s Exacting Standards
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Examined by Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
Time is precious for barristers. Every moment spent chasing paperwork, organising diaries, or managing admin is time taken away from what matters most: preparation, advocacy and your clients. That’s where Eden Assistants step in
AlphaBiolabs has announced its latest Giving Back donation to RAY Ceredigion, a grassroots West Wales charity that provides play, learning and community opportunities for families across Ceredigion County
Despite increased awareness, why are AI hallucinations continuing to infiltrate court cases at an alarming rate? Matthew Lee investigates
Many disabled barristers face entrenched obstacles to KC appointment – both procedural and systemic, writes Diego F Soto-Miranda
The proscribing of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act is an assault on the English language and on civil liberties, argues Paul Harris SC, founder of the Bar Human Rights Committee
For over three decades, the Bar Mock Trial Competition has boosted the skills, knowledge and confidence of tens of thousands of state school students – as sixth-form teacher Conor Duffy and Young Citizens’ Akasa Pradhan report
Suzie Miller’s latest play puts the legal system centre stage once more. Will it galvanise change? asks Rehna Azim
.tmb-carlisting.png?sfvrsn=c60e2f3d_1){kind=logo}
