Achievements

Justice Alliance Subgroup: Fat Rat Film in schools

Hopefully by now you will have seen the Fat Rat Film “Legal Aid Team” which was launched in April 2015. For anyone that hasn’t seen it, Legal Aid Team is an “animated superhero adventure film pitting three audacious lawyers against the evil justice minister, Chris Grayling”.

Our 10 year anniversary event

There will be a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Legal Aid in Parliament on Wednesday 11 July 2012 starting at 5pm. The title of the meeting is:

"Is LASPO the end of legal aid lawyers and the end of diversity and social mobility in this part of the profession?"

Guardian Law has a series where readers can nominate lawyers to watch.  We are very pleased that YLAL founder Laura Janes has been named Lawyer to watch for April 2012.

The full article and the reasons why Laura was nominated can be read here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2012/apr/02/laura-janes-lawyer-to-watch

“Nowhere else to turn: The impact of legal aid cuts on MPs’ ability to help their constituents”

A report setting out the findings of a study by the Young Legal Aid Lawyers, investigating the effect of the legal aid cuts on the ability of MPs to help their constituents (download from below). To be launched in Parliament at a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Legal Aid at 1330 on 14th March 2012.

“Quick, dirty but important: our research into unmet legal need at Court” Socialist Lawyer, September 2008 by Laura Janes

...amidst the gloom of the legal aid bill, the LAPG's Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards provided a moment to celebrate the fantastic achievements that legal aid lawyers make every day. We are particularly proud to announce three YLAL members whose work was recognised at the event last night.

We are very pleased to announce that at last night’s Liberty Human Rights Awards 2010, Young Legal Aid Lawyers won the Young Person of the Year award. The judges said that the award was given in recognition of YLAL’s “outstanding commitment to providing quality representation, advice and access to justice for those who could otherwise not afford it”.

YLAL has submitted a paper called Quality not Cost to the Ministry of Justice in the hope that quality will be at the heart of the new proposals for legal aid services.

Read our paper here.

Law Society Gazette comment

Guardian comment

In line with the government's 'national crusade' on social mobility, YLAL has carried out its own investigations within the legal aid sector. Our report shows that fears that the legal aid sector could become pale and stale, as predicted by YLAL representative Kat Craig at our question time, look set to materialise. Download our social mobility report below.

Read article in Law Society Gazette here