Legal aid workers are angry that the Government proposals will hit the poorest people the hardest and that the main cuts are targeted at low-cost preventative work – not expensive high-profile trials.

Under Government plans, free legal advice would be abolished for problems with employment, welfare benefits, family law, immigration and consumer problems, as well as most debt and housing advice. At present, this is delivered to people on low incomes by Citizens Advice Bureaux, independent advice centres, the Law Centre and private practice solicitors.

Many solicitors firms have stopped doing legal aid work in recent years and now only offer paid-for services to those who can afford them. The effect of the proposed cuts is to abolish the advice needed by an estimated 650,000 people each year.

Speakers at the event include Green Party councillor Jillian Creasy, MP David Blunkett, along with legal aid practitioners and clients of these vital services.

Carita Thomas, of Young Legal Aid Lawyers, said:

“Legal aid is a safety net for the most vulnerable. It is there to help people through the hard times, whether it’s getting contact with their kids or employment or debt advice when they lose their jobs. The government's cuts will hit us all but particularly women, minorities and the disabled who are most likely to need free help.”

“If we want a fair society, taking away the means by which people can be equal before the law is not the way to go about it.”

Douglas Johnson of Sheffield Law Centre, said,

“Charities like ours, and our clients, will feel the biggest cuts. The Government says the voluntary sector will face a massive 77% cut from the legal aid budget. This is on top of further cuts proposed for anti-discrimination casework. It is clearly intended to hit the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.”

Chris Cole of Cole & Yousaf Solicitors said,

“What’s staggering about the Government’s proposals is that they are aimed at the areas of preventative work that help people sort out their everyday problems before they become a crisis that would cost the State a lot more in social care.”

Councillor Jillian Creasy said,

“Everyone needs access to free legal advice to nip problems in the bud and prevent them escalating. As a Green councillor, I do hundreds of pieces of casework each year and it's vital that I can refer on to local services like Sharrow CAB, funded by legal aid, when more specialist advice is needed.”

Geraldine O’Connor said,

“If the government takes away free legal aid, it will be one law for the rich, one law for the poor.”

“This is intolerable in a so-called democracy. I am a disabled woman and had to stop work because of my illness, which meant I got into debt. I turned to legal aid to get help sorting out repayments. Without my solicitor, I would have been sunk.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The Government’s Green Paper “Proposals for the Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales” was published in November 2010. Over 5000 organisations and individuals responded to the consultation.

2. The main proposal is to remove legal aid for employment problems; clinical negligence (complaints about healthcare); consumer problems and contracts; debts such as council tax, utilities, credit card debts, fines, unsecured personal loans, overdrafts and hire purchase debts and insolvency problems; criminal injuries; education issues (problems at school or college); welfare benefits and asylum support; family law cases where there has been no physical violence; most housing cases; most immigration cases unless people are actually detained; assaults; negligence; false imprisonment. Legal aid will not be available in these areas, regardless of the merits of the case. There will be no legal aid for appeals against bad decisions in these cases.

3. Legal aid expenditure was £2.1 billion in 2008/09, of which £700m (33%) was for high- level criminal cases (Crown Court trials), £650m (31%) was for full civil legal aid. Only £263m (121⁄2%) was spent on civil legal aid advice and assistance (“legal help”). The not- for-profit sector (CABx, Law centres, independent advice centres, etc.) benefits from £78m of this funding.

4. The Government proposes to cut 28% of legal aid funding. The NFP sector will be affected by a cut of 77% of its funding.

5. 943,904 people were helped with legal aid in 2010-11; under the proposals, 653,659 people will no longer be able to receive a service, according to research by the Legal Action Group.

6. In 2009, the Legal Services Commission said, “Legal aid gives people who can least afford it access to justice, which provides a vital safety net and makes our society a civilised one.”

7. Justice for All (  http://www.justice-for-all.org.uk/ ) is a collation of over 3000 charities, legal and advice agencies, politicians, trade unions, community groups and members of the public. Justice for All is holding a national day of action on 3rd June to raise awareness of the effect of the proposed cut in access to justice, with a series of events around the country.