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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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Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

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Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

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Lime Solicitors—four promotions

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Lime Solicitors announces four promotions

NEWS
The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, and Solicitor General, Andy Slaughter KC MP, marked the 25th anniversary of Pro Bono Week by joining lawyers, charities, students and parliamentarians at events celebrating voluntary legal work
A polished legal defence may owe more to artificial intelligence than legal merit—and creditors risk paying the price in delay and expense
Possession claims are entering a new digital era, with procedural traps awaiting practitioners who assume familiar rules still govern every step
Should a conviction stand when a later ruling reveals that the law underpinning it was wrong? The answer exposes a clash between finality and justice
Witness evidence can be compromised by AI before a solicitor sees the draft, leaving safeguards focused on authorship incomplete
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