Over 7,500 lawyers took part in a 10km sponsored walk on 20 May to raise a record £575,000 for charities that provide free legal advice in London and the South East. This sector has been severely affected by the recent reduction in council spending, along with the £220 million legal aid cuts announced in April this year.
The walk was organised by the London Legal Support Trust (LLST) and sponsored by the Law Society. It has also been endorsed by leading members of the judiciary, including the Lord Chief Justice, the President of the Supreme Court, the Master of the Rolls, and the Attorney General.
The route covered an array of London's landmarks, passing the Royal Courts of Justice, the Law Society and Middle Temple, as well as St James Park and Hyde Park. GB Olympic champion Katherine Grainger CBE also joined the walk.
Bob Nightingale, Chief Executive of the London Legal Support Trust, commented that, ‘thousands of the most vulnerable people in and around London will gain vital help that they would otherwise have been denied. While 7,500 walked, tens of thousands of lawyers have donated to the walk and that is a tremendous response from the legal profession to the plight of those who cannot afford to pay for legal help.'