Criminal legal aid: Ministry of Justice consults lawyers on £92m offer

Criminal legal aid solicitors will be able to have their say on a 12% pay rise announced by the government just before Christmas.

Lord chancellor Shabana Mahmood confirmed in December an additional funding boost of up to £92m a year for solicitors working in police stations, courts and prisons. The £92m is on top of the £24m injection into police station and youth court fees. An eight-week consultation on the £92m will open later today.

Justice minister Sarah Sackman said the government’s proposals mark a crucial step in rebuilding a sector ‘that has been neglected for too long’.

‘Access to justice is a cornerstone of our legal system, and this investment will ensure that the wheels of justice continue to move. As part of our Plan for Change, we’re putting legal aid on a sustainable footing now and for the future,’ Sackman added.

Law Society president Richard Atkinson said extra cash into the legal aid system as quickly as possible is a step in the right direction 'but it has to be recognised the cost of living is outstripping the extra funding being offered'.

Atkinson said: 'The criminal justice system is a vital public service, and legal aid solicitors play an important role in ensuring there is a level playing field so that everyone can access justice regardless of their financial situation.

'Expert advice from solicitors from the very start of cases at the police station through to the courts helps the system run smoothly and reduces delays. It makes the job of the police easier while ensuring suspects and defendants are treated fairly and avoids the impact of unrepresented defendants on a growing backlog in the courts.'

With fewer legal aid solicitors doing criminal law work, 'there is a real danger that people will not be able to get legal representation when charged with a crime, heightening the risk of miscarriages of justice', Atkinson said.

'If they are to see a viable long-term future in this vital work, solicitors will need hard evidence that the decades of neglect are well and truly over, and that this is not just an isolated bright spot in an otherwise long-term decline. We look forward to further discussions on fee structures and incentives once the [criminal courts and sentencing reviews] are published.'