Closing the Justice Gap: new thinking on an old problem
Published by Solicitors Journal and produced by Jures in association with the Young Legal Aid Lawyers, Closing the Justice Gap is a collection of thought-provoking essays on the state of legal aid in the UK.
Bringing together some high profile names from the legal profession to discuss their thoughts for reform in the legal aid system, Jon Robins (editor) presents vital new ideas on an old problem.
Essays include:
- Michael Mansfield QC urges the legal profession to reassess their support for legal aid and offers some examples of how this can be achieved
- Henry Bellingham MP argues that an effective and fully inclusive legal aid system is essential to the welfare state and looks at some options for bringing new money into the legal aid fund from outside the public sector
- Sir Geoffrey Bindman offers some radical new ideas on how to resuscitate the ailing legal aid system including a levy on the wealthiest City law firms to create a funding backing social welfare law projects
Other contributors include:
- Roger Smith, Director of Justice
- Crispin Passmore, Strategy Director, Legal Services Board
- Laura Janes, Young Legal Aid Lawyers
- David Harker and James Sandbach, Citizens Advice
- Neil Kinsella, Russell Jones & Walker
- Tony Edwards, Senior Partner, TV Edwards
- Jon Trigg, Head of Strategy, A4e
- Nick Green QC, Chairman of the Bar Council 2010 and Paul Mendelle QC, Chair of the Criminal Bar Association 2010
- Peter Todd, Partner, Hodge Jones & Allen
"An excellent publication … a genuinely imaginative collection of essays about how radical, exciting and innovative ways to reform and improve legal aid… And, my God, they are needed"
Jon Snow, Channel 4 News
‘We need all the constructive ideas we can get. The book makes a valuable contribution.’
Michael Zander QC, LSE
At a time when the legal aid system is almost at the point of ‘sink or swim’, Closing the Justice Gap offers the new thinking required to keep it afloat.