Legal Aid

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 ...

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 ...

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) ...

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 ...

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 ...

A new initiative to expedite the resolution of summary cases will short-change defence lawyers, without extra pay. The Summary Case Management pilot, which begins today, seeks to ...

English solicitors could be given more advocacy rights under UK government plans to break the barristers' strike, according to reports. The Daily Mail quotes a government source ...

Criminal barristers in England and Wales have voted overwhelmingly for an indefinite strike in a major escalation of their campaign for higher legal aid pay. After a ...

Legal affairs minister Ash Regan has made what she claims is a “substantial and credible offer” of support to legal aid practitioners amid a bizarre claim that ...

Solicitors in London are refusing to take on cases for defendants accused of assaulting emergency workers and harassment in a legal aid row with the UK government. ...

Criminal law barristers have overwhelmingly voted to strike as part of their legal aid dispute with the UK government. Following a ballot of 2,500 members, the Criminal ...

The Scottish government has been sharply criticised over a "lack of engagement" with solicitors as the criminal justice system teeters on the brink of collapse. The Scottish ...

Responding to the Scottish government’s Resource Spending Review announced last week, the Law Society of Scotland has criticised the freezing of justice budgets until 2027, saying that ...

Thorntons partner Murray Etherington has vowed to fight to protect legal aid across Scotland.  He said he will also focus on the Law Society’s critical role in ...

Criminal solicitors in London are to refuse low-paid cases this week in protest at legal aid rates. More than 100 solicitors have voted to stop representing people ...