The government is risking lowering standards in legal aid provision if it presses ahead with its reform programme, the Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) warned at the launch of a new fundraising campaign – Friends of LAPG – last week.

Speaking at the event – which was attended by legal aid minister Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – LAPG director Carol Storer said practitioners understood the government’s desire to cap the legal aid budget. However, she warned that altering fee structures, including introducing fixed fees, could lead to a drop in service quality.

She added: ‘LAPG has asked and continues to ask the government to look at what it is doing, which leads to increased pressure on the legal aid fund. The cost drivers are complex and this is even more of a reason to explore them.’