Legal aid review delayed

The government announced that the overdue post-implementation review of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 would be further delayed until sometime in the new year. Meanwhile, in its response to the review, the Civil Justice Council, chaired by the Master of the Rolls, Sir Terence Etherton, said the pro bono sector had been ‘overwhelmed’ since the cuts and called for ‘greater investment in early legal advice’ to help make legal aid provision more viable for practitioners, many of whom have ‘simply walked away’ due to low rates and ‘onerous’ contract requirements.