On 11 May 2017, YLAL responded to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Consultation on Legal Aid Financial Eligibility and Universal Credit. The MoJ states that it is consulting on the impact of changes to the benefits system - specifically the introduction of Universal Credit to replace a number of previous benefits - on financial eligibility for legal aid.
On 24 March 2017, YLAL responded to the Ministry of Justice Consultation on the Litigators’ Graduated Fee Scheme (LGFS) and Court Appointees. Our full response to the consultation is attached below.
The LGFS is the scheme through which criminal defence solicitors are paid for publicly funded work carried out in the Crown Court. The consultation proposes the following reforms to Crown Court work:
On 16 March 2017, YLAL responded to the Ministry of Justice Consultation on the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme: Commissioning Sustainable Services. Our full consultation response is attached to this page.
On 2 March 2017, YLAL responded to the consultation by the Ministry of Justice on Reforming the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS), the scheme through which criminal defence advocates are paid for publicly funded work carried out in the Crown Court. Our full response to the consultation is attached to this page below.
In January 2017, YLAL responded to the consultation by the Bar Standards Board on the Future Training of the Bar: Future Routes to Authorisation. This follows a previous consultation which closed in October 2015, to which YLAL also responded. You can find our response to the previous consultation here.
On 9 January 2017, YLAL responded to the second consultation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) on its proposal to introduce a Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), intended to serve as a common professional assessment for all solicitors on the point of qualification. You can read our full response to the consultation below, and our response to the initial consultation on the SQE in March 2016 here.
Young Legal Aid Lawyers (YLAL) has responded to the Ministry of Justice Consultation on Tribunal Fees in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) and the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chambers) - you can read our full response here. The consultation is available to read here.
This is Young Legal Aid Lawyers' submission to the call for written evidence by the Bach Commission on Access to Justice, which was set up by Lord Bach after he was asked by Jeremy Corbyn to carry out a comprehensive review of legal aid for the Labour Party, considering civil, crime, family and social welfare law.
The terms of the review are:
To set out the principles that should be at the heart of the legal aid system.
To develop a legal aid policy that is credible, principled and up to date.
YLAL has today (4 March 2016) responded to the consultation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) on a proposed Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), which would serve as a common professional assessment for all intending solicitors. The stated purpose of the SRA's introduction of a standardised assessment at the point of qualification is in order to "ensure consistent high standards of entry into the profession, providing confidence to the public and employers".
The Young Legal Aid Lawyers response to the Bar Standards Board Consultation on the Future of Training for the Bar: Academic, Vocational and Professional Stages of Training is available to download below.
