50 lawyers in Liverpool last Friday evening left Law Society representatives in no doubt about their preferred approach to the MoJ’s ‘Transforming Legal Aid’ consultation exercise.

The event was the latest in the Society’s roadshow programme, sponsored by iLaw, to meet with practitioners to discuss current issues and to canvass views. Read the full story

It seems that client choice is following the path of so much else in the criminal legal system as it is threatened with being killed off in the proposed shake up of criminal legal aid.

Despite the fact we all believed this was protected in LASPO, it seems the minister allowed himself enough wriggle room and soon it will be like A&E, you simply get the first doctor to see you and no choice in the matter.

S.27 of LASPO says: Read the full story

Consultations are like buses. There must be one well on its way because two have just arrived at the same time.

On Monday, MoJ issued a consultation document which sets out the government’s proposals for further reform of the legal aid system in England and Wales. The expressed aim of the proposals is to deliver savings of £220 million per year by 2018/19. At its launch, justice secretary Chris Grayling said: Read the full story

On Tuesday, Policing and Criminal Justice Minister Damian Green delivered a speech at the centre-right think tank ‘Reform’ on crime and justice policy.

One of the themes of his speech was the failure to exploit technology. He said: “Anyone who compares the way the criminal justice system works with any other modern workplace will be immediately struck by the terrible failure to take advantage of all the benefits that technology can bring. If you compare basic processes that take place across the country all the time Read the full story

The Government’s white paper on criminal justice reform ‘Swift and Sure Justice: the Government’s Plans for Reform of Criminal Justice’ was published last Friday.

Introducing the white paper, the policing and criminal justice minster Nick Herbert said: “We want a more flexible criminal justice system, including extending opening hours for courts, maximising the use of technology through virtual courts and prison to court video links, and we are looking at radical proposals to speed up cases where offenders plead guilty.” Read the full story

For the first time government, industry, voluntary groups and law enforcement agencies have joined forces to tackle fraud. Thirty-seven organisations have come together to launch ‘Fighting Fraud Together’, a new strategy that aims to reduce fraud, estimated to cost the UK £38 billion every year.

Speaking at the Fighting Fraud Together launch event, minister for crime and security James Brokenshire said: “Fraud causes serious harm to the public, to businesses and the wider economy. For too long fraud has Read the full story

Last week the government announced its intention to ban the payment of referral fees in personal injury cases. In their view the current arrangements have led to high costs, encouraged a compensation culture and led to the growth of an industry – estimated elsewhere to be worth £3bn a year – which pursues claimants for profit.

Though the MoJ stress there is no universally recognised definition of ‘referral fees’, their press release gives the following example: Read the full story

On the 2nd April a joint statement was issued by the Law Society, Legal Services Commission and Ministry of Justice regarding the agreement they reached on the unified contract. This follows the recent Court of Appeal judgement about the civil legal aid contract. Read the full story

I reckon that the busiest groups of civil servants currently are those monitoring Government sponsored consultation processes. Under the present Government there are literally hundreds of consultations launched every year. Read the full story

The Legal Services Commission (LSC), after lengthy discussions with the Law Society, has agreed a number of changes to its legal aid proposals. The Law Society is holding free events to update civil and criminal legal aid practitioners and:- Read the full story