The MoJ’s surprise announcement on Tuesday of a wide-ranging review of legal aid delivery must be interpreted as an implicit acknowledgement that the existing system is not fit for purpose. Many solicitors have being saying as much on the letters pages of the Gazette for as long as most of us on the magazine can remember. Legal aid minister Willy Bach seized on the 10th anniversary of the Legal Services Commission as the ‘hook’ for his initiative, but this is surely coincidence. Why now? And why was there no hint that this was coming?

Conducting sham consultations when key decisions have already been taken has been a hallmark of this government (Heathrow expansion, nuclear power – we could go on). We sincerely hope this is not one of them; and that the review is not merely a figleaf brought into being to obscure further deep cuts in a £2bn budget which – lest we forget – is less than the annual fee income of Clifford Chance and Lovells combined. It is certainly reasonable to hope that the separation of the Criminal Defence Service and Community Legal Service legal aid budgets will provide clearer responsibilities and accountabilities, as the government hopes.

What is important too is that legal aid lawyers seize what we hope is a real opportunity to influence policy. You can email Sir Ian Magee at: mageereview@justice.gsi.gov.uk.