The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Legal Aid hosted a Zoom meeting on the issue of COVID-19 and the Legal Aid sector.
During my opening speech I outlined the devastating impact that the last 10 years of a Conservative government has had on Legal Aid and access to justice, and how Covid-19 has exposed problems in the justice system rather than created them. I also discussed the way forward, which my report on criminal legal aid examined in further detail here.
You can watch the full event here.
The APPG heard from a wide array of speakers across the Justice sector, including:
• Karl Turner MP, Shadow Minister for Legal Aid
• Alex Chalk MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State with responsibility for Legal Aid
• Richard Miller, on behalf of The Law Society
• Amanda Pinto QC on behalf of The Bar Council
• Caroline Goodwin QC on behalf of the Criminal Bar Association
• Chris Minnoch on behalf of Legal Aid Practitioners Group
• Emma Trevett on behalf of Young Legal Aid Lawyers