Legally aided clients will no longer be able to choose their solicitor if new Government proposals are brought in next year.
Instead, the State will allocate you a lawyer – and tell you to lump it.
Worse still, that lawyer will not be allocated because he or she is any good, but because his/her firm offered the government the cheapest bid.
The government plans to slash the number of legal aid firms across the country by 75%, awarding a limited number of contracts to those bidding the lowest price. Those companies reported as likely to bid include Serco and the trucking company Eddie Stobart.
These proposals have been condemned by solicitors, barristers, judges and by everybody concerned about the preservation of the criminal justice system. But the fight requires the widest support from as many people as possible.
If you care about the future of legal aid, please sign the e-petition: