The LAPG Annual Conference will take place on Friday, 8th of November 2024 at Herbert Smith Freehills.

Get your tickets here

We are hosting our Annual Dinner on the Thursday, 7th of November at The Folly. Join friends and colleagues from across the legal aid sector for a pre-dinner drinks reception from 6.00pm. The Annual Dinner is not restricted to conference delegates. Everyone is welcome.

Join us on Thursday 7th November at 6:00pm at The Folly for a night of celebration and networking before our conference.

Time: Drinks reception from 6pm, dinner from 7pm – late

We are offering three tickets types:

• Full price tickets: £45 + VAT
• Reduced rate tickets for YLAL/JFFs/SWSQF: £25 + VAT
• Guests of LAPG (by invitation only)

Tickets include a three course meal, prosecco reception, table wine and some soft drinks. Additional drinks and sides can be purchased on the night.

Attendees can buy up to 6 tickets at once. Please, do get in touch with us (anna.neira.quesada@lapg.co.uk) if you would like to purchase 7 or more tickets at once.

Dress code: smart but not black tie

Thank you to our sponsors John M Hayes, Leigh Day and Iomart Managed Services for their ongoing support.

Get your ticket here!

9.15 Registration, Coffee/Tea and Sponsors’ Exhibitions. Throughout the day John M Hayes costs lawyers will be available to delegates to discuss costs issues and staff from the LAA will be available to discuss legal aid issues with delegates. John M Hayes and the LAA will have rooms where delegates can consult them – details will be in the conference pack and announced at the start of the conference.

10.00 Plenary session: Welcome and Keynote Speech

• Welcome: Chris Minnoch CEO of LAPG
• Keynote Speech: Nicola Mackintosh KC (Hon), Director and Founder of Mackintosh Law, Co-chair LAPG
  • Heidi Alexander MP, Minister with responsibility for legal aid, will give a video address to set out the new government’s vision for legal aid and access to justice.
  • We send our best wishes to Prof Conor Gearty who was due to deliver the Keynote Speech but is unable to do so following a cycling accident. We hope he makes a speedy recovery.

10.45 Workshop Session 1

• 1.1 – Risk, regulation and remediation Vicky Ling and Matthew Howgate use UK GDPR and a recent Cyber Breach ICO decision to discuss risk management, policies, and procedures, dealing with regulators and fixing things when something has gone wrong. Helen Fanning provides her firm’s perspective on data protection and cyber security. This is a must do session for all managers. Speakers: Matthew Howgate, Consultant; Vicky Ling, Consultant; and Helen Fanning, Practice Manager, MJC Law
• 1.2 – Current trends in family law (private) This workshop will cover live issues including the FJC Guidelines on Alienating Behaviours; working with neuro diverse clients and recent research into survivors of domestic abuse and their treatment in family courts. The speakers may adapt this to add in more relevant issues closer to the conference. Speakers: Jenny Beck KC (Hon), Solicitor and Co-Founder, Beck Fitzgerald and co-chair of LAPG; Lisa Phillips, Barrister, Park Square Barristers
• 1.3 – Public law This workshop will consider how JR challenges in some policy areas might be affected by the new government’s approach and priorities (perhaps particularly immigration, asylum, social care, benefits). The workshop will also cover developments in running strategic litigation and costs implications, cost capping and interventions especially securing funding under Reg. 6 of the Civil Legal Aid (Merits) Criteria 2013 and the wider public interests test. Speakers: Oliver Carter, Solicitor, Irwin Mitchell Solicitors; Tim Baldwin, Solicitor, Garden Court Chambers

• 1.4 – YLAL session – ‘A Career in Legal Aid’ Run by Young Legal Aid Lawyers

  Speakers: Abbi Hart, Hodge Jones and Allen; Naomi Duckworth, Lincoln House Chambers; Myriam Naouai, Family Rights Group and Justice First Fellow; Ioana Serbanoiu Hammersmith and Fulham Law Centre.

11:35 Coffee/Tea and Sponsors’ Exhibitions.

12.05 Plenary: The future of civil, crime and family legal aid Many areas of civil, crime and family legal aid are in crisis, a point made consistently by respondents to RoCLA earlier this year and laid bare in the CLAIR report. We await word from the MoJ about next steps for RoCLA, about resolution of The Law Society’s criminal legal aid fees judicial review, and about future legal aid policy following the Autumn Budget. This panel will explore what needs to happen to ensure that civil, crime and family legal aid not only survives, but is reformed to meet the needs of clients and create a viable service for practitioners. Speakers: Chris Minnoch CEO, LAPG; Richard Miller, Head of Justice, The Law Society; Julie Bishop, Director, Law Centres Network; Sian Hukin, Reeds Solicitors, Young Legal Aid Lawyers

12.50 Lunch / Sponsors’ Exhibitions

13.45 Workshops Session 2

• 2.1 – How well do you know your legal aid contract? The best way to manage your relationship with the LAA to increase income and mitigate risk is to know the contract as well or better than the LAA does. How well do you know the contract? Matt and Vicky use the latest contracts to highlight key terms and also to discuss how to approach KPI’s. Speakers: Matthew Howgate, Consultant; and Vicky Ling, Consultant
• 2.2 – Current trends in family law (public) This workshop will cover pre proceedings meetings (PLO) as well as what every care lawyer needs to know about education law when dealing with children who have disabilities and Special Educational Needs. Speakers: Lorraine Green, Partner, Children Panel Member, Miles & Partners LLP; and Beverley Watkins, Solicitor and Partner, Watkins Solicitors. Chair: Oliver Conway Solicitor, Oliver Fisher Solicitors
• 2.3 – Immigration and asylum law Broken down, Out of date, Not fit for purpose …come and hear our immigration practitioners What is on our wish list for change of achievable objectives that don’t involve cost politically or economically? What’s on yours? WARNING Audience participation is unavoidable Speakers: Jawaid Luqmani, Partner, Luqmani Thompson; Matthew Davies, Deputy Managing Partner, Wilson Solicitors LLP
• 2.4 – Issues around vulnerability and capability Diane Astin co-chair of the Civil Justice Council Working Group on Capacity in the Civil Courts will summarise the CJC recommendations on capacity, and facilitate a discussion about the need for a wider debate about: vulnerability; how the new Practice Direction PD 1A is operating; how the civil justice system can be made more accessible for vulnerable litigants; and, how the adversarial culture impacts on lawyers’ conduct when dealing with unrepresented litigants. Speaker: Diane Astin, Solicitor and Senior Lecturer in Legal Practice at Brunel University. Chair: Amy Shaw, Deputy Secretary, Civil Justice Council

14.45 Coffee/Tea and Sponsors’ Exhibitions

15.15 Workshop Session 3

• 3.1 – Billing and efficiencies Civil & Family Legal Aid Top tips on how providers can work in such a way that they are paid quickly to avoid cash flow issues and minimise loss. This session will be focused on process and practicalities but will also look at how to maximise providers’ costs and what fee earners need to keep in mind when running cases in busy practices. Speakers:
  Shaun Williams, John M Hayes Costs Lawyers
• 3.2 – Self-Care and managing trauma in the legal profession Workshop co-run with YLAL Being a legal aid lawyer has many pressures and practitioners are routinely exposed to high levels of trauma in their daily work. This workshop will consider what steps can be taken to make legal aid work manageable, prevent burnout and support individuals to protect their health. Speakers: Dr. Laura Janes, Consultant Solicitor, GT Stewart and Scott-Moncrieff; Emma Trevett, Lawstop and YLAL
• 3.3 – Current trends in housing law and legal aid This workshop will cover a number of live issues including:
  • what is happening with s.21 proceedings,
  • homeless issues including the use of bed and breakfast and applicants having to wait for eviction before being accommodated,
  • the digital possession process,
  • how best to tackle local authorities (collaborative approach or litigation every time),
  • disrepair cases and local authority tactics.

Speakers: Kate Pasfield, Director of Legal Aid Policy, LAPG; Laura Coyle, Partner and Housing Solicitor, Turpin Miller, Co-chair HLPA; Ann Bevington, Director and Senior Solicitor Hopkin Murray Beskine and Eleri Griffiths of One Pump Court

• 3.4 – Crime and prison law update Speakers: Zachary Whyte, Consultant Solicitor and Higher Court Advocate, Sperrin Law and Andrew Sperling, Solicitor-Advocate, SL5 and founding member of the Association of Prison Lawyers (APL)

16.10 Final Plenary – Quick-fire Round: Bold Ideas in Bite-Sized Chunks – a selection of speakers will each spend four minutes explaining a great new idea, initiative or project relevant to legal aid and access to justice.

Chair: Ro Jana, Director of Parliamentary Affairs, LAPG

• Zachary Whyte from LCCSA – the LCCSA campaign to unionise criminal defence solicitors
• Kate Pasfield, Director of Legal Aid Policy, LAPG and Anna Neira Quesada, Operations Officer, LAPG – the LAPG Unchargeable Time Research Project
• Caroline Miles from Access Social Care – recently launched Community of Practice for Community Care lawyers.
• Jenny Beck KC (Hon) – the work of the National Family Justice Observatory + FLANC Family law advice for the neurodivergent community
• Polly Glynn, Partner/Director, Deighton Pierce Glynn – trafficking and modern slavery
• Ro Jana – update on the All Party Parliamentary Group on Access to Justice

17.00 – 18.00 Drinks