Budget
Richard Atkinson speaks to LBC (00:35:53- 00:41:49) about the underfunding of the criminal justice system including the courts and the decline of the number of duty solicitors.
Solicitors Journal and Lexis Nexis (£) report that we have called for sustained justice funding, to help reduce the court backlogs and ease the civil and criminal legal aid crisis, ahead of the Autumn budget.
Law Society President Richard Atkinson said: “We were pleased to see the chancellor has said there will be no return to austerity but are concerned by reports of cuts.
“More cuts to the justice budget are untenable and will make the prime minister’s mission on crime impossible to achieve.
“The chancellor must give the Ministry funding to address the courts backlog, address the crisis in civil and criminal legal aid and to implement stalled reforms to the legal aid means test.
“Unless investment is forthcoming, criminals will feel emboldened and victims will lose faith in our justice system.”
POLITICO Playbook mentions Richard’s LBC interview.
Legal aid
Gazette reports on court interpreters refusing to accept bookings from language services contractors, until they are invited to the contract negotiating table and offered better pay.
Head of Justice Richard Miller said: “This has led over time to increasing numbers of all sorts of experts, including interpreters, [saying] they are not prepared to work for legal aid rates. That’s having an impact on the availability of some of the higher-quality experts, particularly in relation to the rarer languages, where obviously the market can dictate that you do need to pay a higher fee to get anyone at all who has the necessary skills.”
AI
Jonathan Goldsmith, chair of the Law Society’s Policy & Regulatory Affairs Committee writes in the Gazette about the AI within the legal sector.
Press Justice Project
The Gazette reports that the Press Justice Project has been founded to support members of the public affected by press abuse. It notes that the charity’s founder, Stephen Kinsella OBE received a Legal Hero award this year.
Employment tribunal backlog
A Lawyer Writes discusses the changes to employment tribunals in Great Britain. Our view on maximising judicial resources to help clear the backlog is mentioned.
Also worth a read:
- Government proposes wider changes to sexual harassment laws – Solicitors Journal
- Renewed support for Windrush victims amid calls for stronger oversight – The Justice Gap
- Law firms still struggle to tackle brutal hours: ‘Some people thrive, others shrink’ – Financial News (£)
- FirstFT: Partner pay at US law firms hits record levels – Financial Times (£)
- Starmer says Budget will include tax rises to prevent austerity – BBC News
- Tommy Robinson jailed for 18 months after admitting contempt of court – Guardian
- MI5 tries to block Manchester Arena bomb victims’ legal claim – Times (£)
- Minimum wage to rise by more than 6% in budget – Times (£)
- Five still in jail 16 years after being given IPP sentences of below six months, data shows - Guardian