Civil legal aid deserts
Irish Times, Worksop Guardian, Ashfield Chad, Express & Star and several other outlets continue coverage of Law Society maps showing extensive civil legal aid deserts across England and Wales.
1 April marked 10 years since the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Publishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) came into force, devastating the legal aid system.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “For rights to be real, everyone who qualifies for state-funded legal advice must be able to get that advice when they need it, so that they can uphold and enforce their rights.
Delays in the family courts
New Law Journal reports that newly released statistics show that the family court system is mired with unprecedented delays and backlogs.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “These delays are preventing parents from being able to see their children and could mean children are left without the stability they need to thrive. The UK government must ensure, so far as possible, that there are sufficient fee-paid and full-time judges to deal with existing and new caseloads.”
Backlog in the criminal courts
Law Society President Lubna Shuja spoke to BBC 1 West Midlands about the impact of the backlogs in the criminal courts.
Lubna said: “We need to see funding in the criminal justice system – across the entire system. That means not only getting the courts back into a good state of affairs, but also making sure we have more judges, solicitors, and court staff.”
Prisoners not attending their sentencing hearing
Stuart Nolan, Chair of our Criminal Law Committee, spoke to Times Radio (from 02:27:13) about prisoners not attending their sentencing hearing, following Thomas Cashman’s refusal to appear in court to be sentenced for the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
Stuart also appeared on BBC Radio WM (from 02:54:09) and BBC Radio Merseyside (from 3:14:13) to speak about the law that allows criminals to refuse to appear in the dock when being sentenced.
Lawyers at risk in Azerbaijan
The Gazette covers the Law Society’s concern that lawyers are at risk in Azerbaijan, as citizens’ access to justice is restricted, lawyers are silenced, and the judiciary process is largely controlled by the state.
Government investment incentive scheme
New Law Journal reports our concern that law firms are likely to miss out on a government investment incentive scheme unless the government extends full expensing to cover law firms.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “Many law firms operate under the partnership model and as such partners are taxed individually.
“This means they do not pay corporation tax and so cannot access the scheme. This creates an odd situation where an insurance company could invest in IT and receive the allowance, but a law firm next door would be unable to.”
Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme
The Lawyer Portal promotes the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme and showcases the programme’s success stories.
Role of paralegals in profession
Law Society data is quoted in an article by North East Connected that looks at the role of paralegals in the legal profession.
Law firms and TikTok
Legal Cheek mentions the Law Society’s TikTok account in reporting that Shoosmiths has become the first big law firm in the UK to join TikTok.
Also worth a read:
- Increase in removal of British nationals following Brexit – Guardian
- Law Commission announces review of laws governing finance in divorce – Gazette
- New research reveals juror bias related to oath-taking – Legal Cheek
- How has the SQE worked for qualifying solicitors - Gazette