Interested in a future career as a lawyer? Use The Beginner’s Guide to a Career in Law to get started
Find out about the various legal apprenticeships on offer and browse vacancies with The Law Apprenticeships Guide
Information on qualifying through the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, including preparation courses, study resources, QWE and more
Discover everything you need to know about developing your knowledge of the business world and its impact on the law
The latest news and updates on the actions being taken to improve diversity and inclusion in the legal profession
Discover advice to help you prepare for and ace your vacation scheme, training contract and pupillage applications
Your first-year guide to a career in law – find out how to kickstart your legal career at this early stage
Your non-law guide to a career in law – everything you need to know about converting to law
updated on 08 March 2012
The government's legal aid bill has suffered a third defeat in the House of Lords. The news comes amid widespread concern that the bill, which proposes cuts of £350 million to the legal aid budget, will deny access to justice to Britain's poorest and most vulnerable citizens.
As reported in The Daily Telegraph, Justice Minister Ken Clarke was moved to respond to comments made by the Law Society's chief executive, Des Hudson, which suggested that the reforms would affect vulnerable women and children. Clarke claimed that the bill was about taking money from lawyers rather than denying court access to the public, and that the current legal aid budget, which is larger than in many other countries, needs to be trimmed to save taxpayers' money.
However, there is widespread opposition to the bill, which many commentators have interpreted as a measure to discourage large numbers of people from pursuing justice by making the financial risks of unsuccessful legal action too high. As a result, the bill is expected to have to undergo a series of amendments before it can be passed - a process that is already underway.
Liberal Democrat peer Lord Phillips of Sudbury said that most of his fellow party members in the House of Lords would vote against the bill or abstain: "We can reasonably expect major changes to the bill at the report stage. There is no doubt that if the government doesn't make major concessions, there will be amendments in the House of Lords and the government will lose. I promise you that."