Legal aid popular with voters
The Times (£) covers the Law Society’s poll which found 84% of Conservative, 95% of Labour and 97% of Liberal Democrat voters in agreement that legal aid is a good thing.
“The UK government is swimming against the tide of its own voters,” said Law Society President Lubna Shuja.
“Our poll has found that 90% of people in the UK think that legal aid is a good thing and want it to be available when facing life-changing legal problems. This is the case across voting intentions.”
Data protection compliance
The Gazette and City A.M. report comments by the information commissioner on data protection compliance at an event we co-hosted yesterday.
Media can report from family law courts
Accredited journalists and legal bloggers were given the go-ahead to report on proceedings from the family courts on 30 January. It is part of the Transparency Reporting Pilot, which aims to improve transparency and accountability.
A Law Society spokesperson said: “Transparency and open justice are important to help the public understand how the law works and how decisions are made. Provided it’s done in a sensitive manner, such reporting will be a valuable tool in re-educating the public. It can also raise awareness of what the rule of law means and why it’s important.
“We are pleased to see the pilot will not allow journalists to identify families. This sensitivity is important, particularly when children are involved.”
Also worth a read:
- Go-ahead to report family court proceedings – Gazette
- Judge appointed aged just 29 – Legal Cheek
- Major legal aid firm sold in pre-pack – Legal Futures
- £30m needed to bring prosecution fees in line with defence fees – Gazette