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      Legal Aid cuts hurt victims of domestic violence

      1 November 2013 by Marketing Team

      FJG Marketing

      A report this week from Rights of Women, the organisation supporting victims of domestic violence, demonstrates that the legal aid cuts, brought in by the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act, in April this year, have had a serious effect on the very people that the Government hoped to protect. Despite specific exceptions from the cuts for victims of domestic violence, the restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Justice require that legal aid is only available to somebody who can prove in a particular way, with a particular letter, that they were victims. The recent report demonstrates that in fact some 60% of women who had suffered domestic violence were unable to get legal aid because of these restrictions.

      This report confirms our experience how difficult it is to get the necessary evidence, and how little information is available to people, many of whom believe that legal aid has been abolished completely. It certainly has not – and legal aid lawyers like us working hard to demonstrate that people can still get legal aid.

      This week also saw a conference of young legal aid lawyers where the key note speaker was Baroness Hale, the first woman member of the new Supreme Court, who described the cuts as: “the steady and precipitous erosion of the legal aid and access to justice schemes is one of the great disappointments of my declining years.”

      She commented that when the Legal Aid and Advice Act was passed in 1949, 80% of the population was eligible for legal aid, but that figure had dropped to just 30% by 2008, following cuts by successive Governments. The latest cuts have removed large areas of social welfare law from Legal Aid.

      Commenting on the allegation by the Government that it is only lawyers who are fighting to keep legal aid, Baroness Hale said: “access to justice does not necessary mean access to lawyers but in a common law world, access to lawyers is the best way of securing access to justice.”

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      We are welcoming clients back to our offices

      Differing tiers and three lockdowns later, Fisher Jones Greenwood Solicitors are now pleased to be able to welcome clients safely back to our offices.

      Remote working and the digitalisation of the way we work, have been key to keeping FJG and the rest of the country going.

      • We are now able to offer, pre-booked face-to-face appointments. Although, we are still able to offer remote appointments if preferred.
      • You can continue to visit our offices at any time to post any correspondence and documents through letterboxes.

      If you are visiting an FJG office, covid-19 safety rules of social distancing, hand sanitization, and the wearing of masks will still apply.

      • Please be aware you will also need to have your temperature taken on arrival.
      • There will also be protective screens in place to protect you and our staff.

      Please do not hesitate to contact your legal adviser by email or by telephone should you have any worries or concerns. Alternatively, please call our main switchboard number (01206 835300), and a message to return your call will be relayed to the relevant person.

      Best wishes
      Paula Cameron
      Managing Partner