How You Can Help the Fight to Save Legal Aid

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Respond to the Consultation

The government's consultation on cuts to legal aid closes on 4th June 2013.  Please take a minute to use our template response to the government's consultation on cutting legal aid.

The consultation has now closed.

Sign the Petition

You can sign the petition against the cuts at https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/48628/signature/new

If the petition reaches 100,000 signatures it will be debated in Parliament.  We're currently most of the way there - help push us over the edge.

Build for United Strike Action

The proposals will not be defeated by petitions and consultations alone.  Contact us to see how you can get involved in building united strike action across the profession.

Statement of Support – Keep the NHS Public

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The Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers is adding its voice to the Keep the NHS Public campaign. The NHS was created as a comprehensive, universal and free service 60 years ago. It is now in great danger. The current government has passed laws which will force open our NHS to competition from private companies seeking to make profit for their shareholders – which is completely at odds with a health service which acts in the best interests of patients.

The NHS is a defining institution of this country. We need to fight for it now and make this government back down. We call on organisations, healthcare workers, patients and the public to campaign to protect the NHS from further privatisation and fragmentation, and to keep our NHS public for the benefit of all.

We also urge people to join the demonstration on Saturday 18 May in London to Save London’s NHS. Details are here: http://defendlondonsnhs.wordpress.com/

Support Keep the NHS Public: http://www.keepournhspublic.com

Haldane Policy: Strategy Regarding Legal Aid Cuts

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On 13 May 2013 the Executive of the Society approved a policy setting out our strategy to defeat the government's vicious legal aid cuts.  The policy calls on our members to intervene at every level in the profession to encourage a militant approach to the fight back, and to call not only to protect the existing system but to rebuild what has been lost already.

The Society will be calling for an immediate and co-ordinated 24 hour strike at all levels of the profession, and for a programme of increasingly intsense strike action thereafter until our demands are met.

Legal Aid: Lobby Your MP on EDM 36

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Early Day Motion 36 on the reform of legal aid: please write to your MP and ask him or her to support it.

That this House deplores the Government's intention to award legal aid franchises to a limited number of contractors, effectively abolishing a client's right to choose their legal representation; notes that this will reduce the quality of legal representation to the lowest standard possible; further notes the fact that firms currently compete on quality of service and will henceforth be required to compete on the basis of price; regrets the damning effect which this further reform of legal aid is likely to have on high street solicitors firms who are likely to either close or abandon legal aid cases; further notes that this will have a very detrimental effect on the provision of services through the medium of the Welsh language; further notes that this will create vast advice deserts in many rural areas; further regrets the departure from the principle of equality of arms before the law and the rights of all citizens to access to justice; and calls on the Government to abandon this ill-thought through reform immediately.

Your MP can be found at http://www.parliament.uk/about/contacting/mp/