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LAPG announces shortlist for 2023 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards
This year’s LALY finalists include: the young barrister who founded Black Protest Legal Support; young law centre solicitor who won additional financial support to protect asylum seekers from destitution; lawyers who have brought multiple successful challenges over the British government’s refusal to relocate Afghan nationals at risk from the Taliban. Legal Aid Practitioners Group is... continue reading
Death and downsizing by Carol Storer
Although the obvious subject for a blog for the LAPG website is a world-weary critique of legal aid and the lack of interest or indeed the outright hostility of the government, I thought a more practical blog would be better. Slightly therapeutic for me but hopefully a few tips that are useful. Do put in... continue reading
The Fragility of Civil Legal Aid by Matthew Howgate
“At the heart of any review of the civil legal aid scheme should be the simple principle that legal aid should always pay enough to cover costs and, if possible, allow just a little profit to invest in its future.” By Matthew Howgate FCMI, Organisation Development Consultant and Head of the LAPG Management & Leadership... continue reading
The Fragility of Civil Legal Aid by Matthew Howgate
“At the heart of any review of the civil legal aid scheme should be the simple principle that legal aid should always pay enough to cover costs and, if possible, allow just a little profit to invest in its future.” By Matthew Howgate FCMI, Organisation Development Consultant and Head of the LAPG Management & Leadership... continue reading
LAPG opens nominations for the 2023 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards!
Nominations close: 24 April 2023; winners announced: 12 July. Legal Aid Practitioners Group is proud to launch the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALY) awards, the only annual event solely dedicated to celebrating the work of grassroots social justice lawyers. This year marks the 21st anniversary of these non-profit-making awards; and we are... continue reading
Getting to know LAPG’s Co-Chair – Jenny Beck KC (Hon)
Director of Beck Fitzgerald. Running niche family law firm with 25 full time staff whilst managing a small but complex caseload and actively campaigning for improvements to the family justice system LAPG role: Co-Chair What does this involve? Active engagement in all 3 arms of our work. Policy and influencing– attending meetings, drafting campaign... continue reading
The frustrations of being a Legal aid lawyer – Volume 1 by Patricia Beckett (Wilsons Solicitors)
Not a day passes when I don’t feel intense frustration about the government’s unconcealed disdain for legal aid lawyers. Legal aid lawyers are an amazing, but fast dwindling, group of human beings. No-one really just ends up being a legal aid lawyer, it’s a conscious decision the practitioner makes either when looking for a training... continue reading
Judicial Review – even when permission is refused on papers, you can always claim something! by Paul Seddon (Seddon Costs Law)
I recently received a solicitor’s instruction to prepare a claim for costs on judicial review. The solicitor mentioned that there was another JR for the same client but she understood that nothing could be claimed because permission was refused. But this isn’t the case, at the very least you can claim the issue fee and... continue reading
Getting to know the LAPG Team – Thomas Rigard-Asquith
Thomas Rigard-Asquith, double-barrelled for equality. Half my job consists in running the Management & Leadership Programme under Matt Howgate and Vicky Ling’s strict authority. Andrea Shumaker used to run this before me, so I’ve got big shoes to fill. On a day-to-day basis, this means making sure everyone is attending sessions, has the relevant materials,... continue reading