On 9 April 2013 the Ministry of Justice issued a consultation paper entitled ‘Transforming Legal Aid’. The deadline to respond is 4 June 2013.
The consultation paper announces a further round of cuts to legal aid, following closely in the wake of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) which came into force on 1 April 2013.
The government has issued a consultation paper proposing changes to judicial review procedure, responses to which must be submitted by 24 January 2013. Although initially launched with reference to planning law, there are many proposed changes that would drastically affect many aspects of public law challenges. This includes the proposal to change the time limit for “continuing breach cases” to run from the very start of the breach.
This week YLAL has submitted a response to the Equality, Diversity and Social Mobility paper which forms a part of the Legal Education and Training Review (LETR).
On 2 July the Ministry of Justice finished their consultation on the proposed Supplementary Legal Aid Scheme (SLAS). Details of the Government's programme for legal aid reform can be found here.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has decided that it will not oblige firms and organisations to pay trainee solicitors anything more than the National Minimum Wage after 1 August 2014. We understand (from reports of the Board meeting) that the SRA still intends to regulate this issue because of the concern that trainee solicitors fall within the definition of an "apprentice" under the National Minimum Wage Regulations.
YLAL has responded to the Legal Services Commission (LSC) consultation on the future of the Specialist Support Service. The LSC aims to end the service after the current contracts run out at the end of June 2012.
YLAL has submitted its response to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) consultation on the proposal to scrap the minimum salary requirement for trainee solicitors.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has proposed scrapping the minimum salary for trainee solicitors. Young Legal Aid Lawyers is deeply concerned about the proposal and how it will impact on access to and social mobility within the profession.
Between July and August 2011 the Government carried out an extremely limited consultation on cutting the fees which are paid to Law Firms and Not for Profits for carrying out legal aid work. The consultation ended on 10th August 2011.
