Some 31 law firms in East Anglia have signed an open letter to the government, warning that its proposed changes to the family and civil legal aid system will be 'disastrous' and will 'seriously impact upon rural communities'.


The letter, published in this week's Gazette, came as the Law Society joined forces with legal aid practitioner's groups to launch a campaign to secure a sustainable legal aid system.



The open letter argues that 'contrary to the government's espoused aims, what is proposed will deny the most vulnerable and needy access to well-informed advice'.



It continues: 'If the government remains determined to force through these proposals... the majority of, if not all solicitors undertaking publicly funded work, will no longer find it a viable proposition.'



Signatories to the letter - drawn from Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk - include Metcalfe Copeman & Pettefar, Dawbarns Pearson, Leeds Day, Ward Gethin and Bridge McFarland.



The Society has meanwhile linked up with the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, the Criminal Law Solicitors Association and the London Criminal Courts Solicitors Association to launch its campaign.

Desmond Hudson, Law Society chief executive for representation, said: 'The solicitors' profession is united in its concern that current plans could threaten access to justice across the country.'





The Law Society Council last week agreed a motion to challenge the government's insistence that there is no additional money for legal aid, and to seek a delay of the proposals for a proper assessment of their impact.



The council also agreed to require that changes to fee structures ensure the cost and risk of system inefficiencies are not passed from the government to suppliers.



Philip Hoult