The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO): One Year On

When the LASPO Bill was introduced to Parliament three years ago, and during the course of its passage through Parliament, the Bar Council repeatedly warned the Government about the likely effects of drastic changes to the provision of civil and family legal aid, as well as the selective implementation of Lord Justice Jackson’s reforms relating to the funding of civil litigation. This report, which examines the effects of LASPO in the first year of its implementation since 1 April 2013, is the result of a review which the Bar Council undertook to establish whether, and to what extent, the Bar’s concerns were justified in the light of subsequent experience since the relevant parts of the legislation came into force.