Access to clients in prison
The Gazette and West Observer cover a report by the Association of Prison Lawyers, which has revealed the hurdles practitioners face when trying to see their client.
Law Society president Nick Emmerson said: “When solicitors are representing people in prison at all stages of the process, but particularly when they are on remand, it is absolutely vital that they have access to their clients.
“Their inability to get appointments in person, or over a video link where appropriate, hampers solicitors’ ability to represent their clients in court and can cause delays to the progress of cases through the justice system.
“This can result in hearings not being able to go ahead, causing wasted costs to the taxpayer and worsening the current court backlogs.”
Laura Janes, the author of the report and a member of our Criminal Law Committee added that it provides a “small snapshot of the widespread serious delays and lack of appropriate facilities.
Civil Legal Aid Review: Provider survey
Solicitors Journal continues coverage of the Ministry of Justice’s provider survey of the civil legal aid market to inform its Civil Legal Aid Review.
Law Society vice president Richard Atkinson said: “The report shows what we already knew, the civil legal aid system is on its knees.
“The people who are affected most by this are families facing eviction, victims of abuse seeking the protection they need or a vulnerable person denied access to the care they’re entitled to.
“Starving the system of resources is penny wise and pound foolish. It would not take a huge sum of money in terms of overall public expenditure to solve this problem, and the savings in other areas from solving people’s problems early would more than offset the cost.
“We urge the government to use this data for its Civil Legal Aid Review and to invest in civil legal aid by ensuring there is a future for this vital public service.”
International Day of the Endangered Lawyer
The IBA reports that human right lawyer Aleksey Ladin will face a disciplinary hearing by the Council of the Tyumen Regional Bar Association on the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer on 24 January.
The Law Society of England and Wales condemns his continued harassment.
LSB will examine regulation gaps
Legal Futures reports that the Legal Services Board is looking to identify gaps in regulation that have allowed unethical or unprofessional conduct.
The piece notes that the Law Society is part of a government taskforce which aims to clamp down on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).
Also worth a read:
- Post Office scandal: Fujitsu boss who said Horizon was “like Fort Know” – Times (£)
- Rwanda Bill: PM suffers setback in House of Lords – FT (£) & Independent
- Robert Courts sworn in as solicitor general – Gazette
- Meet the sole solicitor-advocate appointed as King’s Counsel – City A.M.
- London accounting for almost half of UK’s service sector exports – Guardian