Law Society justice select committee evidence
The Gazette and Business Fast report Law Society President Lubna Shuja gave evidence on legal aid to the House of Commons justice select committee yesterday. Lubna argued that the lack of legal aid funding has left few duty solicitors in the sector and warned that without immediate reform, the number of legal aid firms and solicitors will continue to fall.
Lubna said: “Lord Bellamy identified over a year ago that this was not a commercially viable proposition, which is why he recommended you need to put a minimum of 15% now. Without that we have to give firms a warning that this is not a sustainable area for you to carry on working in.”
Read more about the challenges in legal aid funding
Custodial remand
Gazette Ireland covers a report that 770 prisoners have been on remand for over two years, further illuminating the detrimental impact of the drastic rise in court backlogs and the faltering justice system.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja is quoted saying: “Solicitors repeatedly tell us about the difficulty of seeing clients in custody and there is a real danger of people not getting proper access to justice. Anyone held on custodial remand must have access to their lawyer.”
Increased rates of divorce
Devon Daily refers to the Law Society’s research on family court backlogs leading to significant delays in the family court system in 2020 in a discussion of divorce rates in the county.
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