Legal aid cuts put access to justice at risk, say lawyers

Date: 17/8/2010
Summary: Critics of shake-up say changes are devestating for smaller practices, where specialists in family law are often found.

Thousands of the most vulnerable people risk being denied emergency access to free advice from lawyers following major changes to the way legal aid is delivered, family law experts warn today.

Ninety per cent of family lawyers surveyed by Resolution, the family lawyers' association, say they believe access to justice is seriously under threat after the recent shake-up of the tendering process across all civil legal work which now revolves around bidding for three-year contracts.

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Source: guardian.co.uk

Subject(s): Legal aid

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