Adrian Bullock bemoans the disappearance of access to lawyers. This is the position as it was before the Legal Aid Act. The last government spent billions that they were never likely to get in tax revenue and allowed investment banks to cripple our retail banks, resulting in bailouts we can never afford to repeat. This government is just clearing up the mess.
Once it has done so we will have cash for the necessities.
The legitimate questions are: why deny legal aid where it is self-financing through a legal aid charge? And could judges make life easier for themselves by streamlining procedures, and by actually co-operating with solicitors?
Formalities cost money. Get to the nuts and bolts. Doing hours of work to comply with the rules minefield, only to be told that we have charged far too much, does not make us want to help out in what is hopefully a temporary return to a Dickensian legal framework. The courts are vital, but we are skint, so let us stop moaning and help each other out.
Andrew Cohen, W Davies Solicitors, Woking, Surrey
