Law Society secures expedited Court of Appeal hearing over threat to access to justice

The Law Society is very pleased that an expedited appeal hearing, chaired by the Lord Chief Justice, is to take place on the 15th and 16th October following its legal challenge to the legal aid unified contract.

The judicial review, launched by the Society in February, highlighted the impact of the legal aid changes on access to justice.

At the end of March, solicitors were forced by the Legal Services Commission (LSC) either to sign an unfair contract or leave legal aid. The Society's legal challenge to the contract focused on the right of the LSC to unilaterally amend the contract.

The Society?s aim has been to protect the most vulnerable people in society by striving to ensure that we have a legal aid system that provides quality representation and fair access to justice for all.

Andrew Holroyd, Law Society president, said: "The Law Society is pleased that this matter is being heard quickly as legal aid practitioners need to know where they stand."