Law


Sound Off For Justice campaign against


Legal Aid reform


Sound Off For Justice is a campaign that wants to make a noise for all those that will be silenced in court if the Government’s proposals go ahead.


scrapped allowing the country’s most vulnerable and needy to still have access to justice when they need it the most.


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The government is proposing cuts that will take £350 million out of the Legal Aid budget, with key areas including medical negligence, welfare, homelessness, employment, education and almost all private family law, coming out of scope entirely, meaning that even the most deserving cases will not have access to Legal Aid.


ound Off For Justice has put forward a selection of positive reforms that would allow the areas currently proposed to go out of scope to no longer be


Des Hudson - Chief Executive of the Law Sociery


Justice cannot be the preserve of the wealthy few, but for every person in this country.


Sound Off For Justice is proposing amendments to the Legal Aid, Sentencing & Punishment of Offenders Bill that would protect access to justice free legal advice for those who need it. This is currently being considered by the Public Bill Committee before its third reading in Parliament, and then this Bill will be debated in the House of Lords.


The Legal Aid, Sentencing & Punishment of Offenders Bill represents the single biggest attack on state-funded legal advice for the poor and vulnerable since the legal aid system was introduced as a vital part of the welfare state in the aftermath of the Second World War.


Crucial safety net for the most vulnerable


Des Hudson, chief executive of the Law Society said the planned legislation will dis- proportionately impact upon the most needy and the least able to defend themselves by effectively scrapping social welfare law from the legal aid scheme.


‘The existing system of legal aid provides a crucial safety net for some of the most vulnerable people in our society - the elderly, the disabled, the abused, children and the mentally ill - suffering from some of the most complex problems relating to homelessness, destitution, domestic violence and separation of families.


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Ministers propose removing housing, employment, family, money and debt advice from the legal aid scheme in one fell swoop.“


The Law Society has launched the Sound Off For Justice campaign to help place pressure on the government to consider alternative reforms that, whilst making more cost- savings than the government is proposing, would protect Legal Aid funding for millions of Britons.


Find out more at www.soundoffforjustice.org www.soundoffforjustice.org


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