David Burrows, Solicitor Advocate. There is a breakdown of relations between the Legal Services Commission and its 'suppliers', the remaining lawyers who still carry out legal aid work. Legal aid as we know it today is far removed from the originating principles under the Legal Aid Act 1949, and the Government's proposed 'market-based approach' to legal aid threatens to erode the scheme even further. David Burrows considers the origins and subsequent decline of the legal aid system and looks at Lord Carter's report to the LSC and the areas under criticism, particularly as they relate to care proceedings, costs and procedural rules. For the full article see July [2007] Fam Law.
Read the full article here.