On 22nd July 2020, YLAL Leeds hosted the virtual event 'Legal Aid and Domestic Violence'. Aaqib Javed, YLAL committee member and future pupil barrister at Spire Barristers, began by introducing the event and the four panellists. He outlined the event’s main focus, domestic violence, and the three main topics to be discussed: the Ministry of Justice Inquiry, the Domestic Abuse Bill, and the important issue of legal aid and access to justice..
On 20 July 2020, the Legal Aid Practitioners Group hosted the ‘APPG on Legal Aid’ virtual meeting. Chaired by Karen Buck MP, the event focused on Covid-19 and its impact on the legal aid sector.
This piece was written by YLAL member Pietra Asprou, who has recently completed the BPTC and is a paralegal at LexisNexis UK.
On 8 July 2020, YLAL hosted a 'Student Takeover' event. The event featured a panel of students and practitioners. The practitioners discussed their legal aid careers and resilience in the face of challenges.
The meeting was chaired by Hafsah Hussain, a recent BPTC graduate, and featured a panel consisting of current students posing questions to legal professionals.
YLAL welcomes the Shadow Minister for Legal Aid Karl Turner MP’s recent report Coronavirus and the Criminal Justice System – Saving Access to Justice. The report can be read here.
On Wednesday 10th June 2020, YLAL hosted a ‘Question Time with Parliament’ #YLALVirtual event which took the form of a question and answer session.
YLAL Cymru hosted this virtual event on Wednesday 24 June 2020. The event was chaired by law student and YLAL member Crash Wigley, who introduced the panel of speakers who spoke on the impact of advice deserts in Wales. It was particularly prevalent that the lack of legal advice is affecting vulnerable individuals such as those with disabilities, the homeless and ethnic minority communities, and is exacerbated by the impact of Covid-19.
"The principle that a person who is facing a life-changing judgment, and risks losing their freedom, has the right to have their case heard and judged by people representative of their community – of different ages, ethnicities and professional and educational backgrounds – is a fundamental aspect of the criminal justice system in England & Wales."
A new report by Young Legal Aid Lawyers (‘YLAL’), “A Sector at Breaking Point: Justice Denied for Victims of Trafficking”, confirms that there is a market failure in the asylum and immigration legal aid sector, with victims of trafficking often unable to access legally aided asylum and immigration advice and representation.
YLAL has engaged with the Ministry of Justice ('MoJ') Criminal Legal Aid Review ('CLAR') throughout the consultation process and has now responded to the consultation on the Accelerated Areas for criminal legal aid review.
You can read our response below.
