*/
New figures from the Legal Aid Agency show there is no need and no scope for further cuts, the Bar Council has claimed.
Welcoming the quarterly legal aid statistics as a “more transparent approach to the workings of legal aid”, Nicholas Lavender QC, Chairman of the Bar, said: “Crime has fallen and so have criminal cases going to court. This means that the cost of legal aid has fallen. Crown Court advocacy fees have already been cut by an average of 21% since 2007 (or 37% in real terms).”
The figures, which cover the quarter from April to June 2014, show that £49.9m was spent under the Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme, which indicates a level of expenditure of less than £200m per annum on the AGFS for 2014.
The same expenditure for 2012 was £264m, which itself was less than in earlier years. In Q2 2014 87,526 people were granted legal aid in the magistrates’ courts. The equivalent figure for Q2 2011 was 104,148 – a fall of 16% in three years. The number of the most serious (indictable-only) cases going to the Crown Court has also fallen.
The figures, which cover the quarter from April to June 2014, show that £49.9m was spent under the Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme, which indicates a level of expenditure of less than £200m per annum on the AGFS for 2014.
The same expenditure for 2012 was £264m, which itself was less than in earlier years. In Q2 2014 87,526 people were granted legal aid in the magistrates’ courts. The equivalent figure for Q2 2011 was 104,148 – a fall of 16% in three years. The number of the most serious (indictable-only) cases going to the Crown Court has also fallen.
New figures from the Legal Aid Agency show there is no need and no scope for further cuts, the Bar Council has claimed.
Welcoming the quarterly legal aid statistics as a “more transparent approach to the workings of legal aid”, Nicholas Lavender QC, Chairman of the Bar, said: “Crime has fallen and so have criminal cases going to court. This means that the cost of legal aid has fallen. Crown Court advocacy fees have already been cut by an average of 21% since 2007 (or 37% in real terms).”
Chair of the Bar sets out a busy calendar for the rest of the year
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Examined by Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
Time is precious for barristers. Every moment spent chasing paperwork, organising diaries, or managing admin is time taken away from what matters most: preparation, advocacy and your clients. That’s where Eden Assistants step in
AlphaBiolabs has announced its latest Giving Back donation to RAY Ceredigion, a grassroots West Wales charity that provides play, learning and community opportunities for families across Ceredigion County
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, outlines why barristers, solicitors, judges, social workers and local authorities across the UK trust AlphaBiolabs for court-admissible testing
Through small but meaningful efforts, we can restore the sense of collegiality that has been so sorely eroded, says Baldip Singh
Come in with your eyes open, but don’t let fear cloud the prospect. A view from practice by John Dove
Looking to develop a specialist practice? Mariya Peykova discusses the benefits of secondments and her placement at the Information Commissioner’s Office
Anon Academic explains why he’s leaving the world of English literature for the Bar – after all, the two are not as far apart as they may first seem...
Review by Stephen Cragg KC
