The Law Society’s Comment on the Justice Bill
From The Law Society: Yesterday’s Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill is more destructive to access to justice than we first thought possible.
It is the single biggest attack on state-funded legal advice for the poor and vulnerable since the legal aid system was introduced.
According to the government’s own Justice Select Committee report, these cuts will increase crime, weaken social cohesion and access to civil rights, and cost tax payers even more.
The bill will:
• lead to higher government spending, rather than help cut the deficit
• increase criminality, adding to pressure on prison places, and
• abolish civil legal aid for victims of medical negligence and in most civil law cases
Legal aid for private family law cases, clinical negligence, employment and housing has been taken entirely out of scope. The bill even goes so far as to assault the fundamental right to advice in a police station by introducing ‘interests of justice’ tests.
The government has failed to consider our alternative savings of £384m, which would make a bigger contribution to cutting the deficit than Kenneth Clarke’s proposals, without the need to remove legal aid from some of the most vulnerable people in society.
The bill also plans wholesale implementation of the Jackson reforms of civil litigation costs, which will have implications for small businesses and access to justice.
The Law Society’s Sound Off For Justice campaign will continue to place pressure on the government to consider our alternative reforms so that legal aid funding is protected for millions of people. Read our reaction to the bill:
• Sound Off For Justice responds to Prime Minister’s speech on legal aid cuts
• Government’s legal aid cuts will hit the most seriously injured the worst (PDF)
• Legal aid cuts punish the poor and vulnerable (PDF)
• MoJ reforms will strangle UK SMEs (PDF)
• Bill will increase criminality and cost the UK tax payer
Act now to ensure the government listens: how you can help
The Law Society will continue the fight to preserve access to justice. We’ll keep lobbying policy and decision makers and maintain our public campaigning.
Here’s how you can help us persuade the government to think again:
1. Sign our petition.
2. Visit or write to your MP.
3. Tell a friend – follow Sound Off For Justice on Twitter or Facebook and help spread the word.
4. Provide The Law Society with case studies – we need examples of how legal aid has helped your clients – please contact our media team on [email protected].
5. Send us your firm’s logo – we will add it to the website to demonstrate your support.
6. Our toolkit will help you promote the campaign. It includes posters, digital pin badges and flyers.
Ends.
