Article
I. Stephanie Boyce
We must pay for justice
I
t’s heartening that the FT is raising the alarm over the criminal justice system. Over the past decade, the Government closed half the courts in England and Wales before technology was in place to bridge the gap. News that five Nightingale courts are to close, despite a backlog, suggests lessons have not been learnt. Recruiting more police officers, stiffer sentencing and rhetoric about being tough on crime is meaningless without investment across the justice system, including legal aid. And it’s not just the criminal courts: backlogs are engulfing the Small Claims Court and the Coroner’s Court, where a growing number of bereaved families are waiting more than a year for an inquest. People living below the poverty line are regularly denied legal aid by too stringent a means test, and many others face legal issues such as in housing, employment and family law, with no recourse because of cuts to legal aid.
If the belief becomes widespread that there is little chance of people enforcing or protecting their rights, there is little incentive for less scrupulous people to comply with their legal obligations, which is highly damaging to the rule of law. ■
A letter to the Financial Times I. Stephanie Boyce
President of The Law Society of England and Wales
Event success for LLST in 2021
O
ptimism is building at London Legal Support Trust (LLST) for the second half of 2021. The charity, which raises funds for frontline free legal advice centres in London and the South-East, has successfully organised over 13 virtual and in-person events, including a quiz, a virtual challenge, and walking events this year alone, with more to come. In May, over 125 walkers and runners from 25 organisations took part in the Walk the Thames event, raising a collective total of £15,000. In June, The London Legal 10xChallenge saw a huge range of creative talent being showcased by over 20 teams and included running, cycling, arts and crafts, baking and walking over ten bridges in London, together raising £19,000! The highly anticipated gradual unlocking of restrictions meant that the charity was able to host nine ‘regional walks’ in the South-East of England which collectively have raised an impressive £82,000 for local frontline free legal advice charities. Not forgetting the pawfect pooches that proudly pounded the park for Legal Walkies in the beautiful Greenwich and Victoria Parks in London on Saturday 12 July. The pups and their owners took on a 5km walk and collectively raised over £3,600.
Pacing through to October LLST’s pinnacle event, the London Legal Walk takes place on Monday 18 October this year. The event sees thousands of walkers fundraise for over 100 frontline free legal advice charities in London and the South-East. With over 300 teams already signed up, the 10km sponsored walk in London is LLST’s biggest fundraiser of the year. LLST is enormously grateful to all the sponsors and supporters of the London Legal Walk, without whom the event would not be able to take place. Why We Walk The mission of the walk is to raise funds for frontline free legal advice agencies that serve people with a range of problems, many of which could be eliminated with the right legal advice. Sadly, legal issues might cause long-lasting effects on peoples’ lives if left unresolved. With the right and timely support from free legal advice centres, the issues could be worked through and problems solved. What can you do to help? Register a team or as an individual for the London Legal Walk – The deadline to register is 8 October. You can sign up via the website HERE or email the team at signups@llst.org.uk. ■ LegalWomen | 9
