Legal aid focus

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Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice

MPs have warned of an ‘unacceptably high risk of miscarriages of justice’ due to a lack of legal aid and increasing levels of self-representation

Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE

Roger Smith considers the possible impact of ‘Manchesterism’ on government policies on access to justice

Ministers have launched a consultation on a potential 10% rise in Crown Court advocacy defence fees

The House of Commons has passed the Hillsborough Law, in a historic achievement for campaigners, survivors and families of those who died in the 1989 stadium collapse

Hillsborough Law Now, a coalition of lawyers and campaigners who helped bring about the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, has scooped the top award at this year's Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards (LALYs)

Public family law cases are taking two weeks less to complete than they did last year, according to the family court statistics quarterly: January to March 2026, published last week

Ministers have proposed bringing inquest work under a single fee scheme for legal help and advocacy legal aid work

A government commitment to increase legal aid fees for criminal barristers has still not been implemented five months after being announced in December 2025

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Harneys—Maggie Kwok & George Weston

Harneys senior leadership appointments

Freeths—Keith Browne & Jim Jordan

Freeths strengthens London Construction and Engineering practice with two strategic senior hires

Anthony Collins—Laura Moss

Anthony Collins announces strategic hire to deepen skills base in the social business sector

NEWS

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Law Society RFC Festival of Sport 2026 ‘Wrap-Up’

More than 100 teams from the legal and financial services sectors competed in five sports at the 51st Law Society RFC Festival of Sport earlier this month

NLJ this week: Part-time protection widens

Part-time status need only be an effective cause of less favourable treatment, rather than the sole cause, the Supreme Court has held in Augustine v Data Cars

NLJ this week: Britain’s unpaid account

Britain’s new acknowledgement that Israel’s occupation is unlawful, and accompanying settlement-goods ban and sanctions, is significant but overdue, argue Danny Friedman KC and Victor Kattan in NLJ this week

NLJ this week: Rules, risks & red tape

New planning fee rises, wider trade union access rights and a service-by-email trap feature in Stephen Gold’s latest Civil Way

NLJ this week: When bots libel

Existing defamation law can respond to AI ‘hallucinations’, but allocating responsibility will prove harder where outputs reach users without human intervention

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Legal aid focus

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Harneys—Maggie Kwok & George Weston

Freeths—Keith Browne & Jim Jordan

Anthony Collins—Laura Moss