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Retired senior judge condemns criminal PCT plans
Sir Anthony Hooper, a former Appeal Court judge, appeared on Radio 4’s Today programme this month to criticise the government’s plans for price competitive tendering in criminal legal aid. Sir Anthony contrasted the British criminal justice system, in which evidence is gathered by the police, to other European countries in which a judge investigates the case. He argued that in this country’s adversarial system, ‘robust, independent and professional lawyers’ were an essential safeguard to prevent miscarriages of justice; niche firms that, for example, specialise in complex fraud cases would disappear; and a system in which ‘solicitors compete on quality’ would be replaced by one where the accused was represented by ‘a government allocated provider’.
The Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, did not appear on the programme to defend his policy proposals; however, the government’s case was put by Bob Neill, a Conservative MP and barrister specialising in criminal law. In heated exchanges with Sir Anthony, Bob Neill argued that in 25 years of experience at the Bar, 95 per cent of the cases in which a suspect requested his/her own solicitor were ‘repeat offenders’, and that the public was not willing to go on paying for this.
London Legal Walk ‘biggest yet’
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Over 7,500 walkers took part in this year’s London Legal Walk
Organisers of the London Legal Support Trust (LLST) annual London walk say the event which took place on 20 May was the ‘biggest yet’. Natalia Rymaszewska, deputy chief executive of LLST, told LAG that the walk raised an estimated £575,000 for legal advice organisations around London. She paid tribute to over 7,500 walkers from 482 firms and advice organisations in London: ‘Every bit of cash they raised will make a difference for not for profit legal services in the capital, which is needed now more than ever.’