King’s Speech: Criminal justice system in focus as Starmer promises to put victims first July 17, 2024 At the heart of Labour's plan to "take back our streets" is four Bills targeting reforms to the justice system including reducing delays in the criminal courts
Barristers ambivalent about MoJ’s pay hike offer October 1, 2022 Criminal barristers have shown ambivalence towards the government’s offer to apply the 15 per cent legal aid fee hike to the “vast majority” of current cases. Barristers speaking to City A.M. said they welcomed the government’s positive movement, but raised concerns the pay hike alone may not go far enough. Members of the Criminal Bar [...]
Criminal solicitors ‘highly unlikely’ to make ‘reasonable’ living, Law Society warns December 1, 2022 The UK government’s refusal to hike criminal solicitor’s legal aid fees by 15 per cent means it is “highly unlikely” those lawyers coming into the job will be able to make a “reasonable” income from their work, the Law Society has warned. Law Society president Lubna Shuja said justice secretary Dominic Raab’s refusal to increase [...]
Prosecutions fail to keep up with the UK’s growing ‘fraud epidemic’ February 5, 2024 The UK government has been urged to do more to crack down on fraud after new data showed the number of high-value criminal cases reaching the courts has stayed flat despite a sharp rise in fraud.
Irritated Dominic Raab warns today’s barrister strike ‘only delays justice for victims’ as lawyer walkout begins June 27, 2022 Barristers are staging court walkouts for several days from today in a dispute over legal aid funding. They will also refuse to accept new cases and to carry out “return work” – stepping in and picking up court hearings and other work for colleagues whose cases are overrunning. Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said the barrister [...]
Criminal barristers vote to end strike, but warns justice system ‘remains chronically underfunded’ October 10, 2022 Criminal barristers in England and Wales have voted to end their strike action over pay today after the government tabled a 15 per cent pay rise.
UK government to open negotiations with striking barristers following ‘constructive’ meeting September 21, 2022 The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has said it will call off a demonstration, planned for this Thursday, following an introductory meeting with the UK’s new justice secretary Brandon Lewis. In a joint statement, the CBA and Bar Council said the introductory meeting had been “constructive” as the barrsiters’ trade bodies said “detailed conversations now will [...]
Legal fee hike on current cases could end barristers strike, CBA chair suggests September 6, 2022 AN IMMEDIATE 15 per cent hike to legal aid fees for ongoing cases could be enough to end the barristers’ strike, the chair of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) hinted today. CBA chair Kirsty Brimelow told MPs today that the group would ballot its members on ending the strike if “significant” progress is made “That [...]
London solicitors’ body calls on members to join barristers’ strike June 21, 2022 The London criminal solicitors’ trade body has called on its members to back the barristers strike, after criminal barristers voted in favour of plans to stage series of court walkouts, starting from next week. The London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association (LCCSA) called on its members to support the barristers strike by joining their colleagues in [...]
Angry Criminal Bar chairman warns crime victims ‘won’t see their day in court’ as govt refuses to negotiate with striking barristers July 4, 2022 The Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, Jo Sidhu QC, has warned that “those victims of crime and defendants who want to prove their innocence won’t see their day inside court”, as he said the Government “refuses” to sit down and negotiate with striking barristers. Strike action over pay and conditions within the criminal legal [...]