Election sounds bell for round two

Contentious proposals to curtail the right to trial by jury and the Homes Bill will see battles in the House of Lords

Informed and constructive debate of legal issues on the eve of a general election is often in short supply.

The main political parties trot out populist sound-bites - bang up more criminals and clamp down on the fees of 'fat cat' lawyers being a couple hackneyed favourites.As the 2001 campaign moves towards a less-than-frenetic climax, the parties have performed essentially to form.But the manifestos offer glimpses behind the rhetoric.

The Conservatives have resurrected proposals for a community legal aid fund, despite this plan being dismissed by Tory ministers in the last Major government.

The Liberal Democrats have concocted a self-funding contingency legal aid fund that initially appears overly complicated.

Labour, as the party likely to form the next government, offers the most detailed, and to many, the most worrying, proposals: there will be continued expansion of the still young Community Legal Service; the salaried defence service will come on stream, in spite of opposition from most criminal law specialist practitioners; and the courts will be overhauled with the real possibility of late-night sittings.Two contentious issues will be brought back - proposals to curtail defendants' right to chose trial by jury in either-way offences and the Homes Bill - with the House of Lords as the battleground.Barring an electoral miracle the Blair legal team will be back for round two.

For lawyers, there will be plenty to fight for.