Legal aid increase for deportation cases
Head of justice at the Law Society, Richard Miller, speaks to the FT (£) about the government considering a pay rise of 15 per cent for legal aid lawyers who take on asylum removal cases.
Richard said the 15 per cent pay rise would likely do little to attract solicitors to the poorly-paid and politically divisive work, noting that “the government needs to make the sector more economically viable, not just this work.”
Coverage continues in The New York Ledger, Today UK News, Business Telegraph, Financial News 247, Germanic News and Español News.
Funding for housing, welfare, family and debt
Solicitors Journal (£) and HQN Network report that a new grant, called The Improving Outcomes Through Legal Support grant, has been split between almost 60 charities so that early legal advice can be provided for people with housing, welfare, family or debt issues.
President of the Law Society Lubna Shuja said: “It is good to see the MoJ has acknowledged the importance of early advice, which can resolve problems before they escalate and therefore play a key role in preventing poor health, debt, homelessness and many other issues.
“However, the best way to ensure people can access that early advice is through a sustainably funded legal aid system, rather than expecting advice-providers to live hand-to-mouth on precarious government grants.”
Criminal justice mired by delays
LexisNexis (£) covers our concerns that delays and outstanding cases queued in the criminal justice system will only improve with proper government investment.
President of the Law Society Lubna Shuja said: “The figures show that more people – the accused, victims, defendants and their families – are waiting to see justice and are left to cope with unresolved cases hanging over them for years,” said our president Lubna Shuja.
“We’ve been saying these delays are unacceptable, but it is only getting worse. The government needs to act now and invest in a properly functioning system if we are to tackle the court delays.”
Legal Pride Gallery
Dispatchist has published photos from this year’s Legal Pride walk, which President of the Law Society Lubna Shuja attended.
In a joint statement, Lubna Shuja and Bar Council chair Nick Vineall KC said: “Like all lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers play an important role in upholding the rule of law, helping shape the justice system and fighting for their clients’ rights.However, we know the fight is not over and LGBTQ+ lawyers’ experiences must be improved.
“We will continue to get a greater understanding of the experiences of LGBTQ+ lawyers and work in partnership to remove barriers to inclusion.”
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