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20 October 2017 / Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC
Issue: 7766 / Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus , Profession
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Bach gets it right

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The balance sheet is important but humans & justice come first, says Geoffrey Bindman

The final report of the Bach Commission is an admirable blueprint for the restoration of our justice system. Lord Bach has stressed that the commission was made up of people selected for their expertise rather than any affiliation with the Labour Party (see ‘The right to justice & an agenda for change’, NLJ 6 October 2017, p 7). Lord Bach is a former Labour minister and the report is published by the Fabian Society, but the presence of the former Court of Appeal judge Sir Henry Brooke as vice-chair guarantees (to all who know him) its independence and authority. The report can thus be regarded not as a party political document but as a basis for cross-party consensus. The Government’s hopefully imminent review of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) should follow its recommendations on legal aid.

More than a pillar

The NHS and legal aid are often described as the twin pillars

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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NEWS
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The legal profession's AI challenge extends far beyond fabricated case citations, according to a warning about the next phase of technological risk
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Law firms should use the transition period before the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) assumes anti-money laundering (AML) supervision to strengthen governance and compliance, experts have warned
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Cross-border disputes increasingly demand creative approaches to gathering evidence, with litigators needing to look beyond traditional letters of request
NLJ this week: Indefinite or forever?
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified the distinction between contracts of 'indefinite' and 'perpetual' duration, with potentially significant implications for commercial drafting
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