Yesterday, the Court of Appeal found that the Government’s introduction of the controversial ‘residents test’ for legal aid, was lawful. This overturns a Divisional Court judgement of July 2014, which found the introduction of the test to be discriminatory and unlawful. Both courts were presided over by a panel of three judges and have considered very different aspects of the case, and come to very different conclusions. PLP is looking at options, including seeking an urgent consideration of the case by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom before the test is implemented, and will update the community in due course.
PLP has exciting new opportunities! We are now seeking an organised Practice Manager to oversee the day-to-day operations, finance, HR, recruitment, risk and compliance in addition to playing a key role in the strategic development of the charity. PLP is also recruiting for its volunteer Board of Trustees. The deadline for both is 1 November.
The Public Law Project has been shortlisted for the Liberty Human Rights Lawyer of the Year Award.
The High Court has today handed down judgment in a test case which will have profound implications for access to justice. In a further judgment in the case of “I.S.” Mr Justice Collins has found that the Legal Aid Agency’s current operation of the Exceptional Case Funding (“ECF”) scheme is unlawful.
At the thirteenth Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards, held last night at Plaisterer’s Hall in Central London, the Public Law Project (PLP) was awarded the judges’ special ‘Outstanding Achievement’ award.
On Wednesday 10 June the High Court will begin hearing a judicial review with far reaching implications for the ongoing implementation of the Government’s legal aid cuts. PLP has been instructed by the Official Solicitor to the Senior Courts, on behalf of a vulnerable individual, ‘IS’, in a ‘systemic challenge’ to the operation of the Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) scheme, established by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPOA) 2012.
In a judgment handed down this morning, a Divisional Court has ruled that controversial judicial review regulations that came into force in April 2014 are unlawful.
The Public Law Project (PLP) has today published a research paper on the mandatory Civil Legal Advice telephone advice line (the ‘Gateway’).
We have today been unsuccessful in a challenge brought by Rights of Women to the lawfulness of the evidence criteria for legal aid, specifically legal aid applications for family proceedings involving victims of domestic violence.
Court of Appeal confirms earlier High Court ruling that the Lord Chancellor’s guidance on the scheme is unlawful
In a judgment handed down this morning the Court of Appeal considered six cases in which the High Court had ruled that the Director of Legal Aid Casework had acted unlawfully in refusing applications for “exceptional” legal aid.
PLP acted for ‘IS’ who is blind, has profound cognitive impairment and is unable to care for himself. IS lacks litigation capacity and is represented through the Official Solicitor. IS has lived in the UK for at least thirteen years.
We are seeking an experienced lawyer to head our casework team for a year during a period of maternity leave, manage a major and exciting project concerned with the availability of legal aid, and help formulate the strategic direction of our work during that time.
PLP’s staff and trustees were deeply saddened to learn of the recent and untimely death of Phil Michaels. Phil was a creative and talented lawyer who made a great contribution to the advancement of public law. He was liked and respected by all who knew him, and our thoughts are with his family, his children and his friends.