The LAPG 2024 Annual Conference at Herbert Smith Freehills was a huge success, with over 200 people coming along. Practitioners joined us from all over England and Wales and had the opportunity to engage with officials from MOJ policy teams and the LAA, and students from 8 different universities and colleges.

Our Annual Dinner at The Folly was great too, allowing us to join friends and colleagues from across the legal aid sector.

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, gave 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.

Workshop Session 1

Risk, regulation and remediation Vicky Ling and Matthew Howgate used 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 provided 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

Current trends in family law (private) This workshop covered 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. Speakers: Jenny Beck KC (Hon), Solicitor and Co-Founder, Beck Fitzgerald and co-chair of LAPG; Lisa Phillips, Barrister, Park Square Barristers

Public law This workshop considered 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 also covered 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

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.

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 explored 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

Workshops Session 2

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

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

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? Speakers: Jawaid Luqmani, Partner, Luqmani Thompson; Matthew Davies, Deputy Managing Partner, Wilson Solicitors LLP

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

Workshop Session 3

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 focused on process and practicalities but also looked 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

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 considered 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

Current trends in housing law and legal aid This workshop covered 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

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)

Final Plenary – Quick-fire Round: Bold Ideas in Bite-Sized Chunks

A selection of speakers spent 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
• Anna Neira Quesada, Operations Officer, LAPG and Kate Pasfield, Director of Legal Aid Policy, 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