Nicholas Chadwyck-Healey makes an important point about Scottish legal aid lawyers getting pay increases at a time when solicitors in England and Wales face great uncertainty through the Carter reforms (see (2006) Gazette, 7 September, 17)

We all hope the proposals made in the Carter report will lead to a sustainable future for legal aid. The Law Society is taking every opportunity to convince government that many of the Carter proposals will stand or fall on the level of fees on offer. There are already parts of the country where people cannot find a legal aid solicitor. These kinds of problems will occur all over England and Wales if the government does not provide legal aid practitioners with a real prospect of improvements in their terms and conditions.


This is the common theme in our dealings with ministers and their willingness to respond positively will be an indication of their commitment to making the Carter proposals work and providing access to justice for all.


Desmond Hudson, Law Society chief executive, London