On 7 April 2020, Young Legal Aid Lawyers (YLAL) published an important report on the impact of COVID-19 on its members’ professional lives. The report analyses survey data collected from more than 300 YLAL members between 26 March- 03 April 2020.
YLAL is gathering evidence as to how coronavirus is impacting our members.
YLAL made a statement about coronavirus on 20 March 2020, calling for the government to take action to:
- Reduce the exposure of practitioners to COVID-19
20 March 2020
Young Legal Aid Lawyers (YLAL) calls on the Government, chambers and law firms across the country to immediately:
- Reduce the exposure of practitioners to COVID-19
- Put support measures in place to protect our members from the effect of loss of earnings and reduced job security
- Protect our members from increased pressure to work through ill-health
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.
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.
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.
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
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:
Welcome to our update of the latest legal aid and access to justice news from October 2019.
Legal aid cuts as a false economy:
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.
