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Out of the frying pan…

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21 May 2015 / David Greene
Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus , Profession , Human rights , Freedom of Information
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David Greene is wary of the new Lord Chancellor

The election is over bar the shouting and there is much shouting being done by those who lost. Michael Gove takes over as Lord Chancellor. Once again we have a non-lawyer heading up the Ministry of Justice. Grayling has been demoted to Leader of the House. It is difficult to conclude the reasons for demotion, probably partly political but hopefully a reflection of his dire time at the Ministry. 

Below the Lord Chancellor there is less change; both ministers have been re-appointed; Mike Penning (who is not a lawyer) has the crime portfolio and Lord Faulks QC comes back to deal with civil justice. The Under Secretaries are Shailesh Vara (again) a solicitor, Andrew Selous, Dominic Raab, a solicitor and Caroline Dinenage. In the Attorney General’s office the AG is Jeremy Wright QC, MP and the SG is Robert Buckland QC, MP (both criminal practitioners).

As far as spending in the Ministry is concerned it seems likely that the justice sector

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