IBA legal aid guide launched

The International Bar Association (IBA), currently holding its annual conference in Rome, has launched a guide for countries aiming to establish or reform their legal aid system. The ‘Guide on legal aid principles on civil, administrative and family justice systems’ was drawn up by the IBA Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee and the Bar Issues Commission. It sets out 27 principles on a range of topics, for example, how to avoid corruption and favouritism, how cases should be allocated and how to calculate how much legal aid providers should be paid.