Campaign against Legal Aid cuts

08/06/2011

The Ministry of Justice intends to bring forward legislation shortly which could decimate access to free legal advice. Over 650,000 people stand to lose out on this vital help through reforms to Legal Aid alone, at a time where other funding streams for free advice are under threat.

Below is round-up of the latest developments in campaigns to challenge the proposed reforms:

The following Guardian article from last Friday provides a summary of the latest activity in the Justice for All campaign (backed by over 3000 charities, legal and advice agencies, politicians, trade unions, community groups and members of the public who form a growing movement for free legal advice) - including a number of protest marches held last Friday 3rd June 2011 across the UK.

> 3/6/11 - Legal Aid Cuts Protesters Demand Justice (The Guardian)

The Guardian has also published another article this week looking at the cost and potential chaos of a rise in litigants in person as a result of the proposed cuts:

> 6/6/11 - Legal Aid Cuts Chaos (The Guardian)

The Law Society is also running a Sound off for Justice campaign, also aiming to stop the Government's proposed cuts to legal aid.

LAG, in a joint letter with the Law Society, has written to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Kenneth Clarke calling on the government to publish its proposals for the reform of legal aid as a draft bill to be scrutinised by a special joint committee of the House of Commons and the House of Lords or the Justice Committee and other select committees with an interest in legal aid and access to justice policy.

> June 2011 - LAG calls for Legal Aid Bill (LAG)