News
Legal aid tenders: Society seeks urgent review
Wednesday 28 July 2010
The long awaited announcement of the family and social welfare contract awards has produced some extremely disturbing results. Of 2400 family firms, only 1300 have been awarded a contract. The remainder include firms who have provided a valued service in their local communities for a number of years. The level of refusals is on a far higher scale than we envisaged and could leave thousands of clients without representation if firms that no longer have contracts close down their family departments or shut down completely. It will also be more difficult for new clients to obtain advice under legal aid.
The Law Society is urgently seeking legal advice on the social welfare and family law tender and results. The extent of the reduction in the number of suppliers in family and social welfare contrasts vividly with the LSC's stated intention that the supplier base would not be significantly reduced, and risks creating major gaps in the supplier base. However, even if there is a viable challenge, it is unlikely to provide a rapid solution to the problems firms are facing.
Media and Parliamentary lobbying is of crucial importance. We have written to the legal aid minister Jonathan Djanogly. That letter will have far greater impact if he is also hearing from MPs around the country concerned about what is happening to the services available in their constituency.
It is however vital that each individual firm appeals any unsuccessful tender outcome, whatever the reason, within the prescribed timescales.View our list of legal aid consultants
Law Society press release: Domestic violence victims and families hit by fall-out from tendering scheme
Contact your MP
You can help our lobbying by highlighting the issue to your MP and urging them to contact the legal aid minister. Download below our briefing on contacting your MP.
Briefing your MP - Word version (69kb)
Briefing your MP - PDF version (96kb)
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