Comments on: Solicitors and Legal Aid http://www.mckenziefriend.com/2009/11/20/solicitors-and-legal-aid/ brought to you by leading McKenzie Friend and Lay Advocate, John Junk of www.familycourtsupport.co.uk Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:54:04 +0200 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: McKenzie http://www.mckenziefriend.com/2009/11/20/solicitors-and-legal-aid/comment-page-1/#comment-84 McKenzie Fri, 02 Apr 2010 10:31:56 +0000 http://www.mckenziefriend.com/?p=280#comment-84 I accept that solicitors do unpaid work on occasion because those who employ them expect it from them. I also accept that solicitors with green credentials may do unpaid work as do feminist lawyers for Women's Aid. That is an ideological choice. It is less easy to believe that your common garden solicitor does a lot of unpaid work for their clients. I find the converse to be true, with overbilling stamped into the public consciousness. If you know of any solicitors in Northern Ireland or England and Wales that do unpaid work in the traditional pro bono sense then I will contact them on behalf of some family law clients who do not have money yet don't qualify for public funding. I also don't accept the 'straw man' argument that just because it is said that the system in the Republic of Ireland doesn't function properly, that we should avoid changing the system in Northern Ireland. On the contrary we should be thankful of the lessons that have been learned from Eire's experience. I accept that solicitors do unpaid work on occasion because those who employ them expect it from them.

I also accept that solicitors with green credentials may do unpaid work as do feminist lawyers for Women’s Aid. That is an ideological choice.

It is less easy to believe that your common garden solicitor does a lot of unpaid work for their clients. I find the converse to be true, with overbilling stamped into the public consciousness.

If you know of any solicitors in Northern Ireland or England and Wales that do unpaid work in the traditional pro bono sense then I will contact them on behalf of some family law clients who do not have money yet don’t qualify for public funding.

I also don’t accept the ’straw man’ argument that just because it is said that the system in the Republic of Ireland doesn’t function properly, that we should avoid changing the system in Northern Ireland. On the contrary we should be thankful of the lessons that have been learned from Eire’s experience.

]]> By: Seymour Major http://www.mckenziefriend.com/2009/11/20/solicitors-and-legal-aid/comment-page-1/#comment-83 Seymour Major Fri, 02 Apr 2010 07:43:11 +0000 http://www.mckenziefriend.com/?p=280#comment-83 The points you make are interesting but I think you have ignored the fact that solicitors do a lot of unpaid work. The motivation for doing such work hardly exists in the state sector. In the Republic of Ireland, the State does run the supply of legal aid for Matrimonial Work. The result is that there is a long queue for the service. The solicitors struggle to get through their work. The system is in chaos and everybody complains. The Government will not save money by employing the Legal Aid lawywers unless it decides to ignore justice and human rights. The points you make are interesting but I think you have ignored the fact that solicitors do a lot of unpaid work. The motivation for doing such work hardly exists in the state sector.

In the Republic of Ireland, the State does run the supply of legal aid for Matrimonial Work. The result is that there is a long queue for the service. The solicitors struggle to get through their work. The system is in chaos and everybody complains.

The Government will not save money by employing the Legal Aid lawywers unless it decides to ignore justice and human rights.

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