August budget
Telegraph (£), Global Legal Post, Gazette, Solicitors Journal, Yahoo Finance UK and two other outlets cover the Law Society’s reaction to yesterday’s Autumn budget.
Law Society president Richard Atkinson said: “It is clear the lord chancellor made a strong case to the Treasury and secured investment for the justice department.
“What remains uncertain is whether the vital funding needed in civil and criminal legal aid and to address growing court backlogs will be forthcoming. Rebuilding the justice system will not be possible unless there is sustained investment in all parts of it including legal aid and courts, not just prisons and probation.
“Increased funding for all these elements is a must if the system is to avoid collapse and access to justice for ordinary people is to be protected. Our research has shown that a well-funded justice system will save public money down the line. The message that the lord chancellor should be hearing is spend to save.”
Gazette also outlines concerns from solicitors regarding the Autumn budget.
The Law Society said: “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.”
LSB review of SRA handling Axiom Ince
Times (£), New Law Journal, Irish Legal News and A Lawyer Writes (£) report on the Legal Services Board’s (LSB), independent review of the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) handling of the Axiom Ince fallout. It revealed a catalogue of errors and missed opportunities on the part of the SRA.
President Richard Atkinson said: “The independent review paints a vivid picture of the SRA’s inadequate and ineffective handling of Axiom.
“As a result of the SRA’s failure to take all the steps it could or should have taken, Axiom was able to act without intervention, leading to money going missing and huge distress to their clients. Ultimately, it has fallen to the profession as a whole – solicitors and law firms – to shoulder the cost through a substantial increase in contributions to the Compensation Fund, which is a vital protection for clients and consumers.
“While the events leading to Axiom’s collapse were happening, the SRA was focused on increasing its fining powers and proposing regulatory expansion rather than tackling the known risks from accumulator style firms and ensuring its operations were joined up and laser focused on protecting consumers. The report makes it clear the SRA had the funding, staff and powers to take the necessary action to prevent the alleged wrongdoing.
“The problems identified in the report can be fixed, but the LSB must insist that the SRA puts its house in order and that the SRA’s management and governance concentrates on its core responsibilities.”
Court interpreters
Senior UK government officials have been questioned by the House of Lords Public Services Committee about the government’s language services contracts, according to the Global Culture Review.
Law Society head of justice Richard Miller spoke to the Committee last week, where he highlighted challenges arising as a result of current legal aid rates.
In-house ethics
Law Society council member Baljinder Singh Atwal writes in the Gazette about the ethics of in-house law.
Also worth a read:
- Autumn budget reveals a £2.3bn investment in prison expansion – City A.M.
- Poor wellbeing and challenges in mental health cost big law firms £65 million a year - Legal Cheek
- Truro crown court forced to adopt four-day week due to budget cuts – Times (£)
- Law firm uses trainees to find problems and solve them with AI – Legal Futures
- All eyes on the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) after Axiom Ince revelations – Lawyer (£)
- One in four people in the UK has a police record, increasing calls for fairer checks on criminal records by employers.- Gazette
- Solicitors dominate the Justice Select Committee, as five have been appointed – Times (£)
- Dozens of divorce applications were wrongly approved due to a computer error - Guardian
- CPS launches new programme for recently qualified barristers to join the CPS for up to two years before resuming practice in chambers – New Law Journal
- PM warns Badenoch and Jenrick against undermining police in Southport case - BBC