Legal Aid

The number of solicitors registered to provide legal aid in Scotland has fallen by more than 12 per cent in just three years, according to new figures. As of 26 May, there were 1,122 solicitors registered to provide criminal and children’s legal aid, while 450 firms were registered for civil l

A survey of Scottish legal aid solicitors has revealed further evidence of a deepening crisis in access to justice, with 41 per cent of respondents either planning to stop legal aid work within two years or unsure whether they will continue. The findings come from a Law Society of Scotland survey of

Scotland’s criminal defence solicitors are to withdraw from a new flagship summary justice scheme in protest at the Scottish government’s failure to increase legal aid rates. The Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA) has confirmed that its members will no longer participate in imple

Solicitors employed on the Scottish Legal Aid Board’s emergency helpline have backed strike action over changes to shift patterns, The Scotsman reports. Sixteen solicitors working on the Solicitor Contact Line voted for industrial action following complaints that management had imposed 12-hour

Colin Lancaster, chief executive of the Scottish Legal Aid Board, details proposals delivered at Holyrood to improve the legal aid system. SLAB is one of a number of organisations to give evidence to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice (EHRCJ) Committee at its inquiry into the current civ

Hundreds of thousands of legal aid applicants in England and Wales have had their personal data stolen in a cyber-attack. The Ministry of Justice today announced that hackers had "accessed and downloaded a significant amount of personal data from those who applied for legal aid through our digital s

Calls for the establishment of a civil legal assistance office and a university law clinic in the Forth Valley will not be enough to solve the region's "legal aid desert", Scottish Legal News has been told. Earlier this week, a new report from Stirling District Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) raised co

A charity has called for the urgent establishment of a civil legal assistance office and a university law clinic in the Forth Valley after concluding that people in Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire are living in a "legal aid desert". A new report from Stirling District Citizens Advice Bureau (

Lawyers have accused the Scottish government of intentionally delaying action on legal aid until after next year's Holyrood election. The Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA) said the profession was being treated with contempt as it confirmed it will escalate its boycott of the government's su

Family members involved in deaths in custody fatal accident inquiries (FAI) are to have immediate, free access to legal aid support and advice. Justice Secretary Angela Constance confirmed that she is using existing ministerial powers to remove means-testing for legal aid in such cases, so that from

Defence solicitors are to boycott the Scottish government’s new Summary Case Management scheme in protest over legal aid fees. In the face of the Scottish government’s continued refusal to engage in meaningful talks with the profession, the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA) "has

Holyrood’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee has today launched a new call for views into civil legal assistance, covering civil legal aid and advice and assistance for civil issues, and grant funding for advice organisations. The call for views is part of a new inquiry whic

Lawyers have threatened to boycott the Scottish government's new swifter justice scheme unless legal aid fees are increased. Members of the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA) will not take part in summary cases heard as part of the new Summary Case Management (SCM) initiative.

Reforms to legal aid have been set out to make the system simpler and easier for both solicitors and those who need legal assistance – along with longer-term proposals for funding and improving the delivery of services. Actions set out in a discussion paper aim to simplify the funding system a

A woman who was assaulted by her husband was unable to secure civil legal aid for her divorce, despite contacting more than 116 law firms. The mother-of-two from the Highlands qualified for legal aid due to being on universal credit but said no firms were willing or able to take on her case. Some re