Legal aid ?

Is obtaining legal aid getting to be more difficult?

Reply to
Ricardo
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Why do you ask?

Is it homework?

Reply to
The Todal

I just wondered if the government were tightening their purse strings on such expenses.

Reply to
Ricardo

Yes, they have done over a period of time. And do you mean civil or criminal legal aid?

Reply to
The Todal

In message , The Todal writes

Well, yes and no.

The overall budget has gone up year after year. There have been no direct cuts. But the top 1% of criminal cases have been taking up an ever higher proportion of the money, so if you are a QC representing a city slicker charged with fraud, there is no problem, but if you are an ordinary local solicitor representing your local petty thieves, drunks and drug addicts, it is very difficult. And the budget for civil work has shrunk.

Something is going seriously wrong in a system in which more is being spent every year but the workers aren't actually getting any increase in pay, the work is becoming less profitable and more and more are giving up.

Reply to
Richard Miller

If that happened in any other industry or government department the obvious suspicion would be one of corruption or a scam whereby money was being diverted from its intended purpose into the pockets of the purse-holders.

What makes the legal aid system so different, I wonder?

Reply to
Anon Poster

From what I hear, it's happening in education and financial services as well.

(uk.finance added)

Reply to
Rhoy the Bhoy

Bottom line seems to be with legal aid that the budget for criminal work has gone up by around £300 million over the past couple of years while the overall budget has gone up by about £200 million. Much of the increase goes in experts' and QCs' fees.

Reply to
Richard Miller

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