Law Society’s Gazette, 4 July 2002

‘Underpaid’ solicitors set to quit legal aid

More than a quarter of criminal law firms are preparing to pull out of publicly funded work unless the government increases pay, with other legal aid practitioners set to follow suit, research has found. A Law Society survey of 200 firms found that 27% expected to drop publicly funded criminal work within five years, rising to 48% of firms with 11-25 partners. A joint Lord Chancellor’s Department and Legal Services Commission statement contended that there is ‘no widespread problem with the recruitment and retention’ of legal aid lawyers.

Law Society’s Gazette, 1 July 1992

The future for legal aid

So, what sort of future do I see for legal aid? If the problems of productivity and cost are not tackled successfully, legal aid has a grim future. As the costs rise remorselessly at well above the rate at which national income is rising, our funders will lose patience with us and rationing and restriction will become the order of the day.

Law Society’s Gazette, July 1962

The Common Market

Many of you may be wondering just what further opportunities and responsibilities will result from the Common Market, especially if and when Britain becomes a member of it. The Law Society does not, of course, concern itself with whether this country should or should not join the Common Market, as that is a political issue. The question for us is how, in either eventuality, solicitors are going to be affected by the existence of the Common Market. The Treaty of Rome contains provisions about the ‘liberalisation’ of the professions of the member states and what this may amount to is naturally of special interest to the Law Society.

The Price of Registered Title

Sir, when registering an estate contract, in respect of unregistered land, a fee of 1s. 6d. per name is required. To register a caution at H.M. Land Registry for the same protection requires a fee of 10s. coupled with a statutory declaration for which a commissioner’s fee of 5s. is payable and time must be wasted to attend upon the commissioner. I had understood that registration of title was, among other things, intended to cheapen conveyancing!

Patrick B. Harris