Solicitors can submit evidence older than 24 months in applications for legal aid over matters concerning domestic violence, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has confirmed. The policy change follows a recent legal decision, in R (on the application of Rights of Women) v The Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Justice [2016] EWCA Civ 91. The Court of Appeal quashed regulations requiring documentary evidence to be no more than 24 months old. The LAA said that, pending amended regulations, providers can make applications with documentary evidence older than 24 months.
14 April 2016
Legal aid policy change
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Boodle Hatfield—Tom McLaughlin
Boodle Hatfield welcomes new employment partner, Tom McLaughlin
Arc Pensions Law—Victoria Thompson-Hill, Jonathan Mason & Georgi Ivanov
National specialist pensions law firm strengthens team with three new appointments
Jurit—Christian Abletshauser
Jurit appoints Christian Abletshauser to lead family law practice
NEWS
Burges Salmon appoints Benn Richards to strengthen Contentious Insolvency offering
A High Court decision has clarified that a home may be unfit for human habitation not only where conditions endanger health or safety, but also where they seriously undermine comfort and convenience
A longer time limit for employment tribunal claims, new charity law thresholds, property tribunal recruitment and appellate guidance on small-claims costs feature in the latest Civil Way round-up
A recent High Court ruling could make issue estoppel considerably more complex in cross-border litigation, requiring parties to consider the foreign law governing the underlying claim
The Supreme Court has overturned Cheshire West’s bright-line test for deprivation of liberty, replacing it with a broader, more contextual assessment that gives greater weight to an individual’s wishes, feelings and apparent consent
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