Law Society helps shape civil legal aid fee proposals

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has today opened its consultation to increase civil legal aid fees for those working in housing and immigration sectors.

The Law Society of England and Wales welcomes the proposed hike in civil legal aid fees, the first in nearly 30 years. The proposal will include:

• civil legal aid rates rising to a minimum of £65 and £69 per hour for non-London and London based civil legal aid work respectively or providing a 10% uplift, whichever is higher
• an additional £20 million a year will be invested in the legal aid sector, meaning a 30% increase for immigration and a 24% for housing
• civil legal aid providers seeing a higher proportion of clients remotely and reducing the requirement for providers to operate out of a permanent office, allowing greater freedom to choose how they deliver services to clients

Law Society president Richard Atkinson said: “Civil legal aid is a vital public service that protects all people and communities and reduces the strain on other public services.

"Our Frontier Economics research* was influential in shaping the MOJ’s proposed increase to rates for legal aid work under housing and immigration contracts, which is a significant step forward that was both necessary and overdue.

“It will positively impact the community by ensuring there is adequate representation for issues such as evictions and housing disrepair.

“While the increase in fees is promising, it must be followed up with further investment across all areas of civil legal aid such as assisting victims of domestic abuse and providing advice to help people obtain the social care that they need.”

Notes to editors

* Read the Frontier Economics final report on the Implications of research on the sustainability of civil legal aid.

Read more about the consultation: Civil legal aid: towards a sustainable future

Read more about Civil legal aid: sustainability research.

About the Law Society

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