header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us

Birthday wishes

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
07 February 2019 / Steve Hynes
Issue: 7827 / Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus
printer mail-detail
Steve Hynes wants the 70th anniversary of legal aid to mark a sea-change in public funding

In July last year, the government celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the NHS with a reception in Downing Street. The prime minister, in her speech at the event, described the NHS as ‘a great British achievement of which we can all be proud.’ Special medals were awarded to staff with over 40 years of service.

Sorry to disappoint the many hardworking legal aid lawyers out there, but I would not hold your collective breath if you are expecting a similar event to mark legal aid’s 70th birthday this year. Awards from the prime minister for long service are also something you probably cannot count on. Nevertheless, while the government doesn’t seem likely to want to celebrate this occasion, the Legal Action Group (LAG) will be.

Falling far

It was on 30 July 1949 the Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949 received royal assent. The Act introduced the civil legal aid scheme the following year. Until this

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
Read All
Public Accounts Committee warn of ‘extinction’ risk for legal aid
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
NLJ this week: The insider returns
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
NLJ this week: Drawing the line on contempt
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
NLJ this week: Stop and search by the numbers
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
NLJ this week: Looking back on the prorogation that never was
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll