Legal services contracts delayed by judicial review

Legal services contracts to be awarded to qualified solicitors operating in the area of family law are to be delayed to give time for evidence to be collected regarding distribution of UK funding.

The Law Society has disputed the Legal Services Commission's decision to award contracts to slightly more than half of firms working in the sector, which will allow them to continue offering legal aid, while companies that did not win financial backing will be unable to continue their work.

It has called for a judicial review of the system and a full hearing is to be held on September 21st, the Guardian reports, with the case resting on whether or not there is sufficient coverage for all areas of Britain under the new funding template.

Group president Linda Lee argued: "A reduction in access to justice cannot be in the public interest," claiming prohibitive logistics and conflicts of interest could potentially reduce access to legal aid under the new system.