The GMLC grew out of a protest against cuts to services offering free legal advice and representation. In recent years the right to legal aid has been subject to permanent assault by successive governments. As a result people have been left without advice and support when they need it most, putting them at the risk of poverty, homelessness and unemployment. On this page you can find out all the latest news from the struggle to restore legal aid.
A report published last week by the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Enforcing Human Rights, highlighted “grave concerns for access to justice, the rule of law, and enforcement of human rights in the UK” caused by cuts,[1] making enforcement of human rights “simply unaffordable” for some of the most vulnerable people.[2] The chair of the…
At the end of June this year, anti-poverty charity Zacchaeus 2000 Trust (Z2K) published a new report showing how the Government’s harsh policies are preventing disabled and unwell people from getting the disability payments they are entitled to. Mandatory Reconsideration When claimants are wrongly denied benefits after their assessment, they can have decision reviewed by requesting a Mandatory…
by GMLC Volunteer Joe Payne Law Centres Federation Limited v the Lord Chancellor [2018] EWHC 1588 (Admin) A recent High Court decision was deservingly won by the Law Centres Network (LCN) in a challenge to the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) Legal Aid policy, via Judicial Review. Judicial Review is a legal challenge to the way a…
A new policy statement by the Bar Standards Board states that pupil barristers will receive an award equivalent to the Living Wage. This is a significant victory for all who have expressed concerns that many cannot afford to make a career in law in sectors such as social welfare. After completing legal studies, aspiring barristers…
We are proud to announce that GMLC has been shortlisted for the Legal Aid Practitioners Group’s LALY Awards 2018 in the Legal Aid Firm/Not for Profit Agency category, sponsored by The Law Society. After the closure of South Manchester Law Centre in 2014 we said: if enough people wanted a law centre, there would be one.…
On Friday 20th April, the Greater Manchester Law Centre (GMLC) hosted a panel on the topic of Legal Aid and the Future of Free Access to Justice. Speakers included Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East and Shadow Justice Secretary, Joe Mensah-Dankwah, Partner at Foresters Solicitors and board member of Black Solicitors Network, Siobhan Taylor-Ward, Young Legal Aid…
“I want to offer my support to the Greater Manchester Law Centre. “Why? Because law centres around the country, and I established one in my own constituency 30 years ago, provide essential legal advice to people but more importantly they raise awareness about peoples legal rights and campaign on issues that affect the local community.…
Changes are being made to housing possession court duty schemes, which provide on-the-day advice and advocacy at court to people facing eviction. The Law Centres network has been granted permission to challenge the Ministry of Justice over these changes. Read full coverage in the Law Gazette here. Below, GMLC volunteer Robert Povall explains the…
On Friday 20th April, a high-profile panel will be speaking on Legal Aid and The Future of Free Access to Justice at an event in central Manchester, hosted by the Greater Manchester Law Centre. Panelists include former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Lord William Bach, Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon MP, Young Legal Aid Lawyers Vice-Chair…
“We have to act. We are the only ones that can make this government sit up and listen. They will try to rely on our good nature and the criticism that will come to us for stopping working. We work for nothing all the time.” – Miranda Moore QC, on why barristers are refusing criminal legal…