Legal Aid Axed

This has slipped quietly through during the recent protests....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15529624

Since this article the bill has been passed. Assuming the Lodrs follow the commons, Legal aid will be cut for all but domestic violence.

Greedy Lawers?
No. Legal aid layers are paid less that the national average. This will not hit any fat cats in london, but the high street layer you and I see.

Who does this affect?
Mainly women. As with an increasing number of these cuts women seem to be hardest hit. If you have no money, then you will not be able to access justice. Women tend to be porrer than men.

Nessisary?
No. £2bn sounds a lot, but then we are putting £40bn into the IMF, Vodaphone allegidly avoided approx £6bn in tax.

Protests.
Like hell! No-one cares as you never care about the law until it's too late!

A coalition of lawyers and charities has attacked planned government changes to the legal aid system as "disturbing" for children, women and families.
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill - being considered by MPs next week - aims to save £350m a year.
But campaigners say 600,000 people will lose legal aid with many forced to represent themselves in court.
Looks like justice will only be accessible for the better-off. About two years in to his premiership, Tony Blair said, “The class war is over.” From where I’m standing it hasn’t begun yet.

mmm This is an indicator that resort to use of the Law, in an increasing number of matters, is now not possible for the average citizen due to ridiculously huge costs of engaging a solicitor/lawyer.
Many are now charging over £240/hour for their time---scandalous :o but is getting to be 'par for the course' if you want 'professionals' for anything these days ::) --- satisfaction is certainly not guaranteed.
Won't bore you but I've spent over a grand with one firm and went to another and they want nearly 2 grand to carry it on :( the joke here is they actually advertise in being 'specialists' in my particular issue but want me to pay for a barrister to 'give an opinion' as to the chances of court success ffs!!! with '1000's' of similar cases you'd think they'd know ::)----it is a carousel of waffle and tosh designed to extract every penny out of the 'client'

The upshot of huge legal costs is the appearance of After The Event insurance which gives some protection against these costs.

It is time for a radical overhaul of the whole legal system---FACT!!!!

Just to add--Barristers now can be instructed by members of the public over court cases and are advised by these Direct Access barristers on the 'procedures in court action' thereby sidestepping the solicitor who would normally instruct the barrister--previously this was never possible or allowed.

Justice for all.... that can afford it >:(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Col

Just to add--Barristers now can be instructed by members of the public over court cases and are advised by these Direct Access barristers on the 'procedures in court action' thereby sidestepping the solicitor who would normally instruct the barrister--previously this was never possible or allowed.

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Yes, this can make it cheaper if you know how to 'use' counsel properly, as they tend to be significantly more expensive than solicitors e.g. make sure the instructions are spot on, contain all the information counsel will require, know to ask all the right questions that you want an opinion on and avoid counsel going off onto expensive tangents.

As for the legal aid cuts, the policy of successive governments has been to kill off high street solicitors, presumably because they believe that poor people shouldn't have the same access to justice or decent legal representation as rich people because they can't pay for it. Nothing new with these latest cuts, they are smaller than those carried out by Labour's Lord Irvine and Geoff Hoon.

Hoh hum, nothing to see here :-?

Would disagree there Chappers. These cut are a total axe to the most commonly used forms of Legal Aid. I'd say there is a lot to see!

Of course these latest cuts in legal aid will hit the poor.

Which shade of the ‘Big Business Parties’ made the biggest cuts to vital services do not really matter? Whether it is cuts to legal aid, grants to youth clubs or the education maintenance allowance, the savage austerity measures will hit the most vulnerable in our society disproportionately.

Don’t take my word for it; just wait for all the reports to be published in the not too distant future. £9000 tuition fees are already having an impact on school leavers from poor backgrounds.

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Originally Posted by Jon_W

Would disagree there Chappers. These cut are a total axe to the most commonly used forms of Legal Aid. I'd say there is a lot to see!

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Not sure which bit you're disagreeing with Jon - we appear to be in agreement. There are cuts and they will be felt hardest by the poorest (by definition, they are generally speaking, those who require / qualify for the aid in the first place) - I was commenting that the cuts to legal aid are never ending, regardless of the party in power it would seem. It's just that we appear to have a WB thread about these latest ones ;)

Apoligies. I read your post incorrectly. :)