The LAA took down its IT systems last May after discovering the attack—initially thought to be less severe than it was—in April, leaving lawyers unable to bill for work online for several months. Criminal practitioners had to wait until September, and civil lawyers until the middle of December, for the system to get up and running again.
‘It’s disgraceful that a year on from the data breach that left legal aid firms out of pocket, they still haven’t been compensated by the LAA,’ said Law Society president Mark Evans.
‘They operate on the margins on economic viability and were put to substantial expense, stress and significant additional bureaucracy, through no fault of their own, when the LAA systems were attacked. No small business should be required to bear the burden of such major additional cost caused by the failings of a government department.’
