Courts could grind to a halt as lawyers protest cuts

Friday 26th June 2015

Protests by lawyers against Government cuts to legal aid could see courts across the country grind to a halt, according to reports. Over 100 lawyers in Liverpool agreed to stop accepting legal aid work when new pay rates come into force on 1 July, after a meeting on 25 June, and the action has spread. The resolution from the Merseyside lawyers’ meeting declared: “Individual firms made an assessment of the cuts that are to be introduced on 1 July and in January 2016 … They will not undertake work at this rate.” Meetings to consider similar action involving both criminal barristers and solicitors are planned for Monday evening in London, Manchester, Newcastle, Northampton, Durham, Cardiff, Essex and elsewhere. Jon Black, the chair of the London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association, who is organising the meeting in the capital on Monday, said: “Even if firms get a new contract, they will not be able to provide a professional service at these rates. In one case, fees under the new contracts next year are due to be 55.6% lower than before. Preparing cases for not guilty pleas in ABH prosecutions will fall from £1,163 to £661, for example. Guilty pleas will fall from £396 to £176.” A MoJ spokesperson said: “Although the transition will be challenging, the changes we are pressing ahead with are designed to ensure we have a system of criminal legal aid that delivers value for money to taxpayers… Having listened carefully to the case put by the profession we decided not to reduce advocacy fees…We have also said that in July 2016 an independent reviewer will assess the impact of the new arrangements.”
 

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