Labour's attack on legal aid
Monday 17 December, 2007
Letters, The Guardian
It was a relief to learn from Polly Toynbee that Henry Porter's advocacy for civil liberties is no more than a decadent luxury for the middle classes.
However, Toynbee should consider where are all these lawyers to protect the poor, abused and the disadvantaged that she is so concerned with? I am a solicitor with more than 20 years' involvement in the legal aid sector. What has happened under Labour is no less than a sustained attack on an independent legal aid system that was founded by Labour 60 years ago. Each week there are more dedicated solicitors withdrawing from the system. There are now fewer solicitors available to defend and represent those faced with illegal eviction, domestic abuse and unlawful arrest.
The Legal Services Commission has revealed that under the current legal aid reforms, 55% of legal aid firms will face a pay cut. There will therefore be substantially more human suffering and social injustice if the government continues with its policy of ensuring that there are no lawyers left to protect those who need it most.
John Killah, Frome, Somerset
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