£11.3m investment needed for early legal advice
Law360 (£) covers the Law Society’s call to the Justice Secretary to urgently give civil legal aid providers a 15% fee increase to keep the sector afloat until the Civil Legal Aid Review publishes its report in a year.
“Early legal advice is vanishing and people are unable to get the advice they need when they need it most. The government’s review of Civil Legal Aid is not expected to report until 2024, with any recommendations taking even longer to implement. To sustain the civil legal aid system until this time, the Justice Secretary must urgently implement an interim 15% increase (£11.3 million) for providers of early legal advice now,” said Law Society President Lubna Shuja.
“Law Society analysis suggests that the number of civil legal aid providers could drop by a third by 2025, leaving many without access to a lawyer when they desperately need one.
“High inflation and the cost-of-living crisis is making it harder to get by day-to-day in the UK. If you add to that a family facing eviction, bankruptcy or fighting for welfare benefits to stay afloat, early advice is needed now more than ever.”
LSB’s plan to increase financial penalties
Today’s Conveyancer reports the Law Society’s reaction to the LSB’s plan to increase financial penalties.
Law Society president Lubna Shuja said: “There is no evidence that the SRA’s current fining powers are insufficient.
“The SRA does not exist on its own in the regulatory process. It sits alongside the SDT, which already has draconian powers to sanction any wrongdoing in the solicitors’ profession. These include not only fining powers but also the ability to remove a solicitor from the profession altogether.”
Role of technology in the legal profession
Jonathan Goldsmith, chair of the Law Society’s Policy & Regulatory Affairs Committee, writes in the Gazette about changes in AI and technology this month, and its consequences on the legal profession.
Also worth a read:
- Suella Braverman doubles down on leaving the ECHR, the Rwanda policy and continues to attack lawyers – Daily Express
- Law Commission review of divorce will examine the favourable treatment given to the spouse of the main breadwinner in England and Wales – FT (£)
- City lawyers warn that Russian sanctions have created a problem for the UK legal services sector – Legal Futures
- Firms are taking more than four months to get paid – Gazette
- Ulez is expanded to include all London boroughs – BBC