Legal aid focus

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Means-testing for legal aid has been removed for foster parents and approved prospective adoptive parents bringing special educational needs and disability (SEND) appeals.

The Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA) has responded to the Tribunal Procedure Committee consultation on possible changes to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) Rules and the Upper Tribunal Rules arising from the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (NBA 2022).

The number of crown court cases waiting for trial for two years or more has reached a record high, official figures show.

The good news is the government has announced a civil legal aid review. The bad news is it won’t report until 2024.

Far from a bold initiative, the announcement of a distant & unfunded review of civil legal aid is an abdication of government responsibility, says Roger Smith

Members of the public across the three main parties support legal aid, research has shown.

Lawyers have welcomed the ‘long overdue’ review into civil legal aid, but expressed concern about the timescale and called for immediate action to prevent collapse.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) plans to recruit up to 1,100 judges and tribunal members and 4,000 more magistrates in 2022-23, according to its annual report and accounts for 2021-22.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced that the government will be undertaking a review looking into ways to better the civil legal aid market through improving the sustainability of the legal aid system for people facing civil and family legal issues.

One solicitor had a piece of air conditioning fall on their head at a magistrate’s court in Manchester, while another solicitor reports from a London Crown Court that ‘everything is falling apart… ceilings leak, toilets leak… mould everywhere’.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS

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NLJ this week: Big tech for small firms

Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs

NLJ this week: Presumption of capacity reaffirmed

The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination

NLJ this week: Justice delayed, justice denied

Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly

NLJ this week: The road ahead for employment rights

Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ

NLJ this week: SLAPPed shut?

From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics

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Legal aid focus

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Keoghs—four appointments

Brabners—Ben Lamb