Civil legal aid deserts
Wigan Today continues coverage of The Law Society’s maps showing extensive civil legal aid deserts across England and Wales. It reports that there are 8 legal aid providers in Wigan as of February.
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.
“The survival of these services is in the balance. People can’t get the legal support they need, when they need it.”
Decline in access to justice
Legal Cheek covers the results of our PC holder survey and reports that 64% of surveyed lawyers believe that a decline in legal aid has eroded access to justice in the past decade.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja commented: “We are hearing from those with first-hand experience of working in the legal sector that the fundamental right to access to justice has become more and more difficult to uphold over the last ten years.
“Consistent underfunding of the justice system in the ten years since crushing legal aid cuts were introduced in 2013 means that people are all too often not able to get the support they need if they are unable to afford private legal fees. Over the past ten years there has been a 41% decrease in magistrates’ court representation.”
‘No-fault’ divorce
Karen Dovaston, Chair of our Family Law Committee, spoke with BBC Radio Shropshire (from 01:08:04), about the one-year anniversary of ‘no-fault’ divorce.
David Hodson, our Family Law Committee member, also spoke with BBC Radio Devon about the ‘no-fault’ divorce anniversary, divorce in the UK and answered questions from listeners.
Legality of commercial spyware
Ben Brown, member of our Criminal Law Committee, and Karen Dovaston, Chair of our Family Law Committee, spoke to the Daily Mail about the legality of spying on your spouses and partners in cases of infidelity.
Financial Benchmarking Survey
Today’s Family Lawyer covers our Leadership and Management Section Financial Benchmarking Survey and reports that 75% of law firms saw a strong performance in fee income in 2022.
Law Society President Lubna Shuja said: “It is encouraging to see law firms continuing to perform strongly, especially given the difficult economic climate we are all facing. As the cost-of-living crisis hits England and Wales the legal sector will continue to be an important driver of the UK’s economy.
“In this current crisis, lawyers are needed more than ever to help people access justice in their time of need. The government must take action to stop the shortfall in legal aid providers before it is too late.”
Role of AI in the legal sector
Chair of our Policy & Regulatory Affairs Committee, Jonathan Goldsmith, writes in the Gazette of the role of AI in the legal sector and asserts the need for guidance and regulation of AI in law.
Solicitor qualifications for international students
LawCareers.Net mentions The Law Society’s guidance for international students looking to qualify as solicitors in the UK.
Also worth a read:
- City of London police open investigation into alleged sexual misconduct at CBI – Guardian
- Legal advice agencies face challenges in meeting client demands – Gazette, Legal Futures
- Scotland to launch legal battle with UK govt over gender reform bill – BBC
- London Legal Walk seeks to unite law sector – Legal Futures
- Dominic Raab to potentially face contempt of court – Guardian