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13 June 2014 / David Burrows
Issue: 7610 / Categories: Features , Legal aid focus , Family
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The exception to the rule

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David Burrows questions if the exceptional cases legal aid legislation is being properly applied

In JG v Lord Chancellor and ors [2014] EWCA Civ 656, [2014] All ER (D) 192 (May), the Court of Appeal allowed an appeal from a refusal of legal aid to a child by Legal Services Commission (LSC) (now the Legal Aid Agency (LAA)). Black LJ considered obiter the meaning of “exceptional case determinations” (EDC), in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), s 10, and certain of the human rights aspects of the scheme.

Lawfulness of ECD guidance

In Lord Chancellor’s exceptional funding guidance (non-inquests) (February 2014) LAA decision-makers are provided with guidance as to how to deal with ECDs. This article asks whether this guidance is lawful in the light of the statutory provision for ECDs, of this country’s duties under the European Convention 1950 and of the case law above, especially in the family law field. In the first nine months of operation of LASPO, eight out of

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

42BR Barristers—4 Brick Court

42BR Barristers—4 Brick Court

42BR Barristers to be joined by leading family law set, 4 Brick Court, this summer

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Real estate and construction energy offering boosted by partner hire

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Firm bolsters real estate team with partner hire in Birmingham

NEWS
A wave of housing and procedural reforms is set to test the limits of tribunal capacity. In his latest Civil Way column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold charts sweeping change as the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 begins biting
Plans to reduce jury trials risk missing the real problem in the criminal justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, David Wolchover of Ridgeway Chambers argues the crown court backlog is fuelled not by juries but weak cases slipping through a flawed ‘50%’ prosecution test
Emerging technologies may soon transform how courts determine truth in deeply personal disputes. In this week's NLJ, Madhavi Kabra of 1 Hare Court and Harry Lambert of Outer Temple Chambers explore how neurotechnology could reshape family law
A controversial protest case has reignited debate over the limits of free expression. In NLJ this week, Nicholas Dobson examines a Quran-burning incident testing public order law
The courts have drawn a firm line under attempts to extend arbitration appeals. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed of the University of Leicester highlights that if the High Court refuses permission under s 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996, that is the end
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