SRA Consultation Response
On 30 August 2019, YLAL responded to the consultation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) on the pilot for Part 1 of the Solicitor's Qualifying Exam (SQE).
You can read our response to this consultation below.
Reports
Chesterfield MP visits Law Centre
Toby Perkins, MP for Chesterfield visited Derbyshire Law Centre on 6 August 2019.
Toby said about his visit:
Ealing MP visits Law Centre
Rupa Huq MP for Ealing Central and Acton visited Ealing Law Centre on 9 August 2019:
The morning was spent discussing legal aid.
Ealing Law Centre said:
Legal aid news - June 2019
Welcome to our update of the latest legal aid and access to justice news from June 2019.
YLAL Response to Labour Party’s 2019 National Policy Forum Consultation
YLAL was invited to respond to the Labour Party’s '2019 National Policy Forum Consultation'. The purpose of the consultation is to seek 'views on how best to rebuild the criminal justice system so that at every stage effective action is taken to prevent further offending and provide real opportunities for rehabilitation'.
Many of the consultation questions are out of scope of YLAL's institutional expertise. However, YLAL has produced a response addressing the most relevant questions to our members.
Using the Law to Protect Refugee and Migrant Rights: YLAL Midlands event on World Refugee Day 2019
On 20 June 2019, YLAL Midlands hosted an event on the law relating to refugees and migrants and the increasing difficulties that individuals face in seeking safety or a better life in the UK. We also began discussions on building networks between lawyers, charities and community groups to empower individuals seeking to exercise their rights.
YLAL Response to HPCDS Survey
YLAL submitted the following responses to the Ministry of Justice's survey on the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme (HPCDS):
Considering the scheme as a whole, are you able to give examples of what works well?
Parliamentary debate on legal aid for inquests - 10 April 2019
On 10 April 2019, Parliament held a debate on the availability of legal aid for bereaved families at inquests, particularly those in which State agents are legally represented. Attached to this page is a helpful summary of the issues raised during the debate . YLAL are grateful to volunteer Freya Oldaker for preparing this summary.
Statement: Report by UN Special Rapporteur
Young Legal Aid Lawyers (YLAL) welcomes the publication today (22 May 2019) of the final report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Philip Alston, following his visit to the United Kingdom in November 2018.
The UN Special Rapporteur rightly states that legal aid has been "dramatically reduced" in England and Wales since the introduction of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). The report notes that the number of cases funded by civil legal aid "declined by a staggering 82 per cent between 2010-11 and 2017-18".
Brexit, Human Rights and Access to Justice: YLAL Midlands event on 9 May 2019
On Thursday 9 May 2019, YLAL Midlands hosted an event on Brexit, Human Rights and Access to Justice at the Irwin Mitchell office in Birmingham.
YLAL co-chair Oliver Carter introduced the event and gave a presentation on key Brexit-related litigation, including the Miller, Wightman and Wilson cases, and the possible impact of leaving that leaving the European Union will have on human rights and access to justice in the UK. Ollie's slides are attached at the bottom of this page.