Lawyers and the legal system will need to find efficiencies and new ways of working to protect the vulnerable from the effects of budget cuts, legal aid minister Jonathan Djanogly told the Gazette this week.

He said: ‘Our priority is not what lawyers do, or the number of lawyers there are doing certain things. Our priority is legal representation for vulnerable people.’

The MoJ has been asked to find savings of 25% as part of the government’s spending review. Djanogly said: ‘It’s very important to understand that efficiency and timeliness, and access to justice are not inconsistent with having less resource… There are areas that need to be reviewed, and savings can be made.’

See lawgazette.co.uk/news next Wednesday for the latest on the outcome of the government’s spending review.