Law Society calls for government to raise criminal legal aid fees

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The Law Society has called for the government to take immediate action on criminal legal aid fees, challenging its decision to not raise fees by 15%, as recommended by the Bellamy review on criminal legal aid in 2021.

The Law Society met with Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk yesterday (29 March 2024), three months after a victorious High Court challenge. Ahead of Monday’s meeting, Law Society President Nick Emmerson explained that he wants Chalk to show he’s taking the High Court’s judgment seriously “by making a commitment to inject immediate funding into criminal legal aid”. Emmerson explained that fewer firms and solicitors are doing criminal legal aid work due to the lack of funding. He also accused the government of “dragging its feet despite the urgency of the situation in the criminal justice system”, which is facing a rising backlog of cases.

Lord Justice Singh and Justice Jay explained that the evidence provided by frontline practitioners showed “women and men working up and down the country at all hours of the day and night, in difficult and stressful circumstances, carrying out an essential service which depends to a large extent on their goodwill and sense of public duty”.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: “Defence solicitors play a crucial role ensuring everyone is treated fairly in our justice system which is why we recently announced proposals that would see an extra £21 million each year invested in criminal legal aid lawyers. We also expect our existing reforms to increase spending on criminal legal aid by up to £141 million a year.”