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Criminal law solicitors could follow the Bar’s example and down tools following justice secretary Dominic Raab’s final response to the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Legal Aid Agency and Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, have announced that solicitors will see a further £21m investment in fees and long-term reforms and an extra £138m will be spent annually on legal aid ‘to ensure long-term sustainability’.

The justice budget suffered a ‘real terms cut’ in the Autumn Statement this week, lawyers have warned, despite Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s pledge to protect public services.

Budget cuts, LASPO’s ten-year legacy and recent political decisions have devastated access to justice, according to a major piece of research by the Bar Council.

The Justice Committee will be examining the future of legal aid for criminal defence solicitors on Tuesday 14 November, when it takes evidence from representatives of the Criminal Law Solicitors Association and the Law Society.

The Law Society has warned that the government’s stance on criminal legal aid is driving solicitors to consider unionising to take direct action, following the barrister strike action earlier this year.

The cost-of-living crisis provided a focus for this year’s Pro Bono Week, with lawyers attending a wide range of events.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced that around 20,000 people facing debt difficulties will be invited to receive free early-stage legal advice through a new pilot launched by the government on 31 October 2022.

There is no better way to raise money than through the medium of cake—so why not hit the kitchen this Pro Bono Week to raise some dough for access to justice?

Ministers have published secondary legislation widening access to legal aid for victims of domestic abuse.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan—Andrew Savage

Firm expands London disputes practice with senior partner hire

Druces—Lisa Cardy

Senior associate promotion strengthens real estate offering

Charles Russell Speechlys—Robert Lundie Smith

Leading patent litigator joins intellectual property team

NEWS

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NLJ this week: Law Society calls for clarity on AML

The government’s plan to introduce a Single Professional Services Supervisor could erode vital legal-sector expertise, warns Mark Evans, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, in NLJ this week

NLJ this week: Turning corporate liability into opportunity

Writing in NLJ this week, Jonathan Fisher KC of Red Lion Chambers argues that the ‘failure to prevent’ model of corporate criminal responsibility—covering bribery, tax evasion, and fraud—should be embraced, not resisted

NLJ this week: A prince no more?

Professor Graham Zellick KC argues in NLJ this week that, despite Buckingham Palace’s statement stripping Andrew Mountbatten Windsor of his styles, titles and honours, he remains legally a duke

NLJ this week: Shareholder secrecy sunk

Writing in NLJ this week, Sophie Ashcroft and Miranda Joseph of Stevens & Bolton dissect the Privy Council’s landmark ruling in Jardine Strategic Ltd v Oasis Investments II Master Fund Ltd (No 2), which abolishes the long-standing 'shareholder rule'

NLJ this week: The expanding remit of national security law

In NLJ this week, Sailesh Mehta and Theo Burges of Red Lion Chambers examine the government’s first-ever 'Afghan leak' super-injunction—used to block reporting of data exposing Afghans who aided UK forces and over 100 British officials. Unlike celebrity privacy cases, this injunction centred on national security. Its use, the authors argue, signals the rise of a vast new body of national security law spanning civil, criminal, and media domains

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Legal aid focus

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan—Andrew Savage

Druces—Lisa Cardy

Charles Russell Speechlys—Robert Lundie Smith