[IER] Campaign against further legal aid cuts

[Sarah Glenister]

<http://www.ier.org.uk/news/support-haldane-society-campaign-against-legal-a
id-cuts> http://www.ier.org.uk/sites/ier.org.uk/files/images/Logo.GIFSupport
Haldane Society Campaign against Legal Aid Cuts


02 May 2013

The Haldane Society has released a document in opposition to further legal
aid cuts, which is in line with the IER's viewpoint on the restriction of
access to justice.

Please take some time to read the Society's consultation response and
standard letter and support them in their campaign by clicking
<http://www.ier.org.uk/sites/ier.org.uk/files/Legal%20Aid%20resolution.doc>
here. A note from the Haldane Society is below.

The IER has also recently released publications critiquing the attack on
workers' access to justice, including
<http://www.ier.org.uk/publications/justice-deferred-critical-guide-coalitio
ns-employment-tribunal-reforms> Justice Deferred: a Critical Guide to the
Coalition's Employment Tribunal Reform and
<http://www.ier.org.uk/publications/access-justice-employment-disputes-surve
ying-terrain> Access to Justice in Employment Disputes: surveying the
terrain.

Dear Brothers and Sisters

The LASPO cuts to legal aid came into force on 1 April 2012, despite a
high-profile campaign against those cuts conducted by Justice for All,
Citizens Advice Bureaux, voluntary groups and legal groups. Just nine days
later, on 9 April 2012, the Ministry of Justice announced a consultation on
a whole new tranche of cuts to legal aid. The consultation is called
"Transforming legal aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system"
and is open until 4 June 2013.

The consultation proposes price competitive tendering for criminal defence
which will destroy community legal services, herald a race to the bottom
which will only favour those large corporations who can absorb the losses,
and remove from the defendants the right to a lawyer of their choice. It
also proposes cuts to civil legal aid services, on top of cuts in rates
which were brought in 18 months ago, and on top of the cuts to the
availability of legal aid which came into force on 1 April 2013. If the
proposals in this consultation document are implemented, criminal defence
will be carried out by large corporations tendering at rock bottom prices,
and civil legal aid will almost certainly disappear. Specialist expert legal
aid lawyers, committed to acting for people who cannot afford legal
representation, will not be able to continue to provide legal services.

Legal aid lawyers are not highly paid, indeed two years ago the Guardian
found that the average salary for a legal aid lawyer was £25,000. We are
campaigning to save legal aid not because of lawyers' self-interest but
because without legal aid, those who cannot afford to pay for lawyers will
find themselves unable to protect their rights.

We are asking that your branch responds to the Ministry of Justice
consultation before 4 June 2013. We have attached
<http://www.ier.org.uk/sites/ier.org.uk/files/Legal%20Aid%20resolution.doc>
a document containing:

1.    a model motion for your branch to consider passing;

2.    a draft response to be sent into the Ministry of Justice consultation;

3.    a summary of the details of the proposals from the Ministry of
Justice; and

4.    a statement from the Haldane Society opposing these cuts

Responses to the consultation should be sent to
legalaidreformmoj at justice.gsi.gov.uk and please do send copies to us at
chair at haldane.org and/or secretary at haldane.org. We are very grateful for
your support to this threat to abolish the fourth pillar of the welfare
state. In solidarity, Liz Davies (Chair Haldane Society of Socialist
Lawyers)

 

 

Sarah Glenister

IT Development and Communications Assistant

Institute of Employment Rights

4th Floor, Jack Jones House, 1 Islington, Liverpool, L3 8EG

0151 207 5265

 

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