Legal aid focus

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It feels like civil legal aid has been in crisis forever—so is the current system simply irreparable? In this week’s NLJ, Roger Smith, former director of JUSTICE, argues that we need a radical rethink.

Roger Smith on why he believes the model of civil legal aid developed as part of the post-war welfare state is bust

Firms are continuing to abandon civil legal aid work, with 1,236 firms contracted with the Legal Aid Agency this year, compared to 1,320 last year and 1,500 in 2019-20

Roger Smith reflects on the radical vision that created law centres & left a lasting legacy

Criminal solicitors have been advised by their own professional body to consider quitting rather than ‘hanging on’ if they find criminal legal aid work financially unviable

Criminal Bar Association (CBA) chair Mary Prior KC has called on the Ministry of Justice to publish a report on the state of criminal legal aid it ‘has been in possession of’ for two months

The Lord Chancellor will decide by the end of November whether and, if so, by how much, to increase immigration legal aid fees, as part of a settlement with Duncan Lewis Solicitors

Boosting government investment in the civil legal aid system could create spin-off savings in other sectors, a Law Society-commissioned study by Frontier Economics has calculated

Law school partners with charity to give free assistance to litigants in need

A report by the Bar Council and Access to Justice Foundation into the value of free specialist legal advice has identified huge potential savings for the government

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

Daniel Burbeary, office managing partner of Michelman Robinson, discusses launching in London, the power of the law, and what the kitchen can teach us about litigating

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Firm welcomes partner with specialist expertise in family and art law

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Dual-qualified partner joins international private client team

NEWS

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NLJ this week: Driving test fraudsters steer towards jail

Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year

NLJ this week: Deepfakes demand data law muscle

As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR

NLJ this week: 40% penalty for coercive control

In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473

NLJ this week: Mbappé row spotlights ‘ethics bonuses’

A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law

NLJ this week: Appeal court reins in ‘wrong defendant’ switcheroo

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

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Legal aid focus

MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar