Legal Aid

Scotland's legal aid system "can't cope" with demand and there is a risk of a "total collapse of justice in Scotland", a senior criminal defence lawyer has said after being unable to find counsel for a serious High Court case. Ian Moir, partner at Moir and Sweeney Litigation, tweeted on Friday that

Scotland's legal aid system is in "deep crisis" and requires urgent reform, the Law Society of Scotland has said following the publication of figures showing a 14 per cent increase in legal aid spend in the past year. The Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) yesterday published its annual report showing

Tony Lenehan KC was the top earner on the Scottish legal aid scheme last year, taking in £400,000 in fees – up 16 per cent on the previous year, when he was second to Donald Findlay KC. The annual figures published today show Ronaldo Renucci KC taking second place with £336,000 in

New legislation is needed to ensure Scotland's legal aid system remains modern, responsive and targeted, the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) has said as new figures show costs rose by 14 per cent to £135 million in 2022/23. The rise in expenditure, revealed in SLAB's latest annual report, was

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