YLAL News | Young Legal Aid Lawyers

Criminal Legal Aid Review

YLAL is participating in the Ministry of Justice's Criminal Legal Aid Review ('CLAR').

Part of this involves us attending consultation and focus group meetings, as well as us feeding into any consultation documents.

As the most junior in the profession, YLAL members are the criminal practitioners most likely to be impacted by the restriction of access to the profession and stagnation of wages which have been caused by the swingeing cuts to criminal legal aid implemented by the Ministry of Justice.

YLAL response to SQE Survey

On 16 February 2020, YLAL responded to the Solicitors Regulation Authority's Survey about the Solicitors Qualifying Exam ('SQE').

SQE will be the new way for people to qualify as solicitors. It will be in place from 2021.

YLAL has been engaging throughout the SRA's Training for Tomorrow project. You can view all of YLAL's previous responses about SQE.

Briefing for MPs on Early Legal Advice

Ahead of the APPG on Legal Aid meeting on Monday 3rd February, YLAL, with the APPG on Legal Aid, Justice Alliance and More United, has put produced a briefing on the importance of properly funded comprehensive early legal advice.

We encourage YLAL members to email this briefing to their MPs as well as linking to this page from their social media accounts.

YLAL Committee member Malvika speaks to BBC News

Malvika Jaganmohan, YLAL Committee member and family law barrister at St Ives Chambers spoke to BBC News on 27 December 2019.

She spoke about access to justice in the family courts, legal aid funding not being available, and people having to represent themselves (litigants in person).

Video credit: BBC News

Legal aid news: November 2019

Welcome to our update of the latest legal aid and access to justice news for November 2019.

General Election: In the run up to the General Election, which took place on 12 December 2019, Young Legal Aid Lawyers (YLAL) launched the #3Pledges4Justice campaign. We asked members to Tweet the parliamentary candidates in their constituency to show their support for 3 key pledges for a fair justice system:

Legal aid news: October 2019

Welcome to our update of the latest legal aid and access to justice news from October 2019.

Legal aid cuts as a false economy:

Legal aid news: August and September 2019

Welcome to our update of the latest legal aid and access to justice news from August – September 2019.

University students to fill a gap in access to justice:

The University of Bristol’s law clinic has launched an initiative seeking to address the gap in legal representation at inquests for bereaved families. Believed to be the first student led clinic with a focus on inquests the team will be supervised by Sumayyah Malna, an inquest solicitor.

HPCDS Consultation Response

YLAL responds to the Ministry of Justice's consultation on the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme (HPCDS), 3 January 2020.

MP for Aldridge-Brownhills visits Southwark Law Centre

On Monday 14 October, Wendy Morton MP visited Southwark Law Centre as part of our TakeYourMPtoWork campaign. Wendy is Under-Secretary of State for Justice.

Consultation on Children Cases in the Family Court

In Autumn 2018 the President of the Family Division invited Mr Justice Keehan (public law) and Mr Justice Cobb (private law), to lead two cross-professional Working Groups, to look at practices and processes in these two areas. On 29 September 2019, YLAL responded to the Interim Reports on public and private law.

You can read our responses to this consultation below.