Criminal court backlog
Gazette and LawCareers.Net continue coverage on the latest criminal court backlog figures.
The number of outstanding cases in the Crown Court – 66,547 – is the highest on record.
Law Society president Nick Emmerson said: “The criminal justice system is withering at the root due to decades of underinvestment and the government’s failure to tackle the crisis.
“Delays in the courts are being compounded by a chronic shortage of lawyers and judges, overrun prisons and courts in disrepair. The increase in the number of people on remand for long periods awaiting trial is extremely concerning.”
Judicial review
Chloe Jay, a criminal defence solicitor, writes in the Gazette about the sustainability of criminal legal aid work and mentions the judicial review challenge the Law Society have brought against the government over criminal legal aid fees.
The judges are set to give their ruling in the New Year.
Read our judicial review press release
Housing crisis
Landlord Zone and Big Issue cover the growing housing crisis, as people who face eviction or repossession from their home are unable to access housing legal aid.
The article cites our research on the impact of LASPO on the legal aid system and reveals our statistic that 42% of people in England and Wales have no access to a legal aid provider for housing advice.
Wills reform consultation response
STEP covers our response to the Law Commission’s consultation on wills reform.
New appointment by Treasury
City A.M. reports that leading lawyer Rachel Kent has been appointed by Treasury to take on the role of Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner. The role is currently held by the Law Society’s incoming Board Chair Amerdeep Somal.
Also worth a read:
- Local Citizens Advice Service will become a law centre – Gazette
- AI and staff wellbeing identified as key challenges for legal sector – Solicitors Journal and LexisNexis (£)
- Bar Standards Board looks to extend its powers – Gazette
- New scheme launched at Osbourne Clarke to recruit more ethnic minority trainees – Legal Cheek
- PM confirms that election will be in 2024 – Politics.co.uk and Mirror
- Millions of wills dating back to 1800s could be destroyed in act of ‘deleting history’ – Telegraph (£)
- Victims' rights are being treated as a 'box-ticking exercise' – Daily Mail