Legal Aid

Scotland's legal aid sector has been "left in the dark" for another year, the Law Society of Scotland has said in the wake of First Minister Humza Yousaf's unveiling of his first programme for government. Mr Yousaf yesterday announced welcome changes in areas of concern for the justice sector includ

The Bar Council of Ireland has called on criminal barristers to take part in a one-day strike this October in a major escalation of its campaign for fee restoration, our sister publication Irish Legal News reports. Sara Phelan SC, chair, said the Bar Council had been "left with no choice" as a resul

The Law Society of England and Wales has been granted permission by the High Court to bring a judicial review challenge against the UK government over legal aid. The application for permission was made after the government failed to increase criminal defence solicitors’ legal aid rates by the

Prosecution barristers are to receive a 15 per cent pay rise after a deal was made with the Treasury. The director of public prosecutions announced that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had “secured additional funding” from ministers.

The Law Society of Scotland has described the Scottish government’s confirmation of an additional £11 million for legal aid as ‘a step in the right direction’ but called for urgent progress on a formal review mechanism to ensure the sector remains sustainable. Legal aid solic

Representative bodies for solicitors in Scotland have agreed to an £11 million package that increases fees for legal aid lawyers in Scotland and supports the country’s court recovery programme. The Scottish government offer, accepted by the Law Society of Scotland and the Scottish Solici

Lawyers in Aberdeen have brought an end to industrial action as a “demonstration of collective goodwill” and ahead of an increase to the legal aid budget, the Press and Journal reports.

Almost £3.4 billion will be invested across the justice system in 2023-24 to fund front-line services, provide continued support for victims and witnesses, and to tackle the causes of offending, the Scottish government has announced. The funding represents an increase of £165 million or

Donald Findlay KC earned the most from legal aid in 2021-22, figures from the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) show. The grand old man of the Scottish legal profession returned to the top of the table having dropped to ninth place in the previous year. He made £382,000 from legal aid in 2021-2

There was a significant recovery in most areas of legal aid activity in 2021-22 following the substantial drop the previous year, according to the annual report of the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB). The total cost to the taxpayer of providing legal assistance was £118.2 million in 2021-22.

The Law Society's new president has said criminal lawyers should refuse work for which they are not properly remunerated as they demand a 15 per cent increase in legal aid fees, in line with barristers. Lubna Shuja's appointment comes as solicitors have been offered a nine per cent rise, despite hav

Thousands of Scotland’s most deprived families are facing the prospect of representing themselves in court thanks to a chronic shortage of civil legal aid firms. New analysis by the Law Society of Scotland shows that the 139 most deprived communities in Scotland, resident to around 100,000 peo

The vast majority of criminal defence solicitors in Edinburgh have suffered mentally and physically from the work they do. A survey by the Edinburgh Bar Association (EBA) found that 87.5 per cent of members agreed that their role as a criminal defence solicitor has had a negative impact on their men

A proposed rise in legal aid fees is a step in the right direction, but further action is urgently needed to resolve the long-term crisis in the sector, the Law Society of Scotland has said. Following discussions with the Law Society, the Scottish government has proposed an £11 million increas

The Edinburgh Bar Association (EBA) has accused the Scottish government of mischaracterising the dire legal aid situation as the result of market forces. Legal affairs minister Ash Regan had claimed that the decline in numbers of criminal legal aid lawyers was a natural response to the drop in prose