High-profile Liberal Democrat lawyers joined the Justice Alliance today to present Nick Clegg with a demand that he halt proposals to slash legal aid.
Prominent Lib Dem lawyers Philippe Sands, Dinah Rose QC and Jo Shaw joined with more than 100 organisations hand-delivering a signed letter to the party’s HQ. The Lib-Dem membership voted against the legal aid proposals, at conference.
The Justice Alliance has warned that the proposals could have knock-on costs of up to £47m, and says law firms are already having to turn away victims of domestic violence and trafficking because they no longer have enough resources to help them.
The government’s latest consultation, Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps, ended today, 1 November.
Dinah Rose QC said: “The protection of the right of access to justice ought to be fundamental to a party which values civil liberties. It is put in jeopardy by the government’s proposals to implement yet more cuts on legal aid. There is no point in participating in government unless the leadership uses the power that it undoubtedly has to prevent serious damage being done to our legal system, and to the rights of the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society."
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