With regard to the news item of 29 September that the House of Lords will ‘fight the good fight’ - per Lord Carlile - am I the only legal aid family lawyer feeling distinctly underwhelmed?
Lord Carlile apparently says that the Lords will not ‘go to war’ with the House of Commons. This implies that there will be piecemeal amendment to some aspects of the government bill, which will satisfy no one. If this legal aid cut is misconceived, and damaging to both the profession and clients’ interests, it should be rejected by the Lords and sent back to the Commons for wholesale amendment. That is the message that legal aid lawyers want to hear, given that the House of Lords is now the last resort to stop these cuts.
Surely there are enough lawyers in the Lords who have doubts about the legal aid cuts to provide a majority for rejection. Otherwise, it appears that legal aid for family law will go the way of the dodo in the not too distant future.
Jonathan Roberts, Powis & Co, Clacton on Sea
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