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07 July 2017 / Steve Hynes
Issue: 7753 / Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus , Profession
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Justice denied revisited

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No other public service has suffered the same level of cuts as civil legal aid. Enough is enough, says Steve Hynes

Theresa May had a simply dreadful general election campaign and for many Jeremy Corbyn emerged the hero of the hour. The election result, an unexpected hung parliament, has changed the political calculations on what to expect next on legal policy.

Prison reform was one of the casualties of the slimmed down Queen’s Speech, but it looks like business as usual for the court reform programme. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has been busy working away at the digital upgrade of the courts and the policy enjoys cross-party support. With the reduced commons majority the government might have to make some concessions around the legal advice available to support the public using the service. There is also likely to be a bitter fight over their proposals to reform the law on whiplash injuries.

While the prime minister managed to get the Queen’s Speech agreed, a confident Labour opposition is arguing that the government

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

NEWS
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
A legal challenge to police disclosure rules has failed, reinforcing a push for transparency in policing. In NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth examines a case where the Metropolitan Police required officers to declare membership of groups like the Freemasons
Bereavement leave is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Writing in NLJ this week, Robert Hargreaves of York St John University explains how the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a day-one right to leave for a wider range of losses, alongside new provisions for pregnancy loss and bereaved partners
Courts are beginning to grapple with whether AI-generated material is legally privileged—and the answers are mixed. In this week's issue of NLJ, Stacie Bourton, Tom Whittaker & Beata Kolodziej of Burges Salmon examine US rulings showing how easily privilege can be lost
New guidance seeks to bring order to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Minesh Tanna and David Bridge of Simmons & Simmons set out a framework stressing ‘transparency’, ‘explainability’ and ‘reliability’
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