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IT still unfit at Legal Aid Agency

12 November 2025
Issue: 8139 / Categories: Legal News , Legal aid focus , Cybercrime , Technology
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The hacked Legal Aid Agency (LAA) IT system for logging work and making payments will be down for at least another month, lawyers have been told

The ‘submit a bulk claim’ service, which was attacked by cyber criminals in December 2024 and taken offline in May after the breach was detected, was due to be restored by mid-November. However, the LAA has now confirmed the service will not go live this month.

Law Society vice president Brett Dixon said the delay was ‘frustrating and concerning... despite the contingency arrangements, practitioners continue to suffer the fallout of a cyber-attack which was no fault of their own’.

He acknowledged it was better for the LAA to delay than plough ahead before it was ready, and urged the Ministry of Justice to compensate firms.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Winckworth Sherwood—Tim Foley

Winckworth Sherwood—Tim Foley

Property litigation practice strengthened by partner hire

Kingsley Napley—Romilly Holland

Kingsley Napley—Romilly Holland

International arbitration team specialist joins the team

Red Lion Chambers—Maurice MacSweeney

Red Lion Chambers—Maurice MacSweeney

Set creates new client and business development role amid growth

NEWS
Property lawyers have given a cautious welcome to the government’s landmark Bill capping ground rents at £250, banning new leasehold properties and making it easier for leaseholders to switch to commonhold
Four Nightingale courts are to be made permanent, as justice ministers continue to grapple with the record-level Crown Court backlog
The judiciary has set itself a trio of objectives and a trio of focus areas for the next five years, in its Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2026-2030

The Sentencing Act 2026 received royal assent last week, bringing into law the recommendations of David Gauke’s May 2025 Independent Sentencing Review

Victims of crime are to be given free access to transcripts of Crown Court sentencing remarks, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed
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