23rd February 2017

Legal aid restrictions are to be scrapped

Time limits preventing survivors of domestic abuse from obtaining legal aid for court hearings are to be scrapped, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) will announce.

The widely criticised rules meant victims seeking legal representation in disputed family court hearings, where they could be forced to confront their abuser, had to demonstrate that they had been targeted within the past five years.

Legal Aid Agency regulations also specified that a narrow range of official documents provide proof, such as medical reports, injunctions and social services records. 

Statements from organisations working with domestic abuse victims will in future also be accepted as evidence of risk, under the changes revealed on Thursday. Letters from solicitors and information from housing officers will also be sufficient.

For the full article see here.