YLAL writes for The Justice Gap

YLAL co-chair Oliver Carter’s latest article for the JusticeGap, published in November 2017, expresses concern about the impact of the cuts to the MoJ budget on the LASPO review and access to justice generally.

“The point is clear: legal rights are illusory if it is impossible to enforce them in practice. This applies to legal aid just as it does for court and tribunal fees, because if ordinary members of the public do not have the practical means of resolving disputes, respect for the rule of law and our democratic institutions is liable to break down.

For people who do not come into regular contact with the legal system, it may be difficult to appreciate the scale of the crisis in access to justice. This did not begin with the Coalition government, and legal aid lawyers who are longer in the tooth than me do not remember the New Labour years with great fondness.”

http://thejusticegap.com/2017/11/crisis-full-blown-emergency-ministry-justice-faces-cuts/