Details

The LAPG 2025 Annual Conference took place on Monday 20th October at A&O Shearman and it was, once again, a huge success.

The Conference brought together almost 200 practitioners, policy specialists, students and civil servants to inform, inspire, build connections and reinforce the sense of community that is so important to a sector under unrelenting pressure.

Plenaries

Welcome: Nicola Mackintosh KC (Hon), Director and Founder of Mackintosh Law, Co-chair LAPG

Keynote Speech: Gina Miller, Transparency and Social Justice Campaigner who initiated both the Article 50 Brexit legal challenge and the Prorogation of Parliament legal challenge

Update from the LAA: Hitesh Patel, Director of Transformation and Deputy CEO, LAA provided an update on the LAA’s current plans for restoring their digital systems.

Plenary: AI in the Legal World: to Use or Not to Use, that is the Question

Panel discussion/debate: Matthew Howgate, Consultant; Giles Peaker, Partner, Anthony Gold and Founder and Editor of the Nearly Legal Blog; Dr. Francine Ryan, Senior Lecturer in Law & Director of the Open Justice Centre; Chair: Ro Jana, Director of Parliamentary Affairs, LAPG

Final Plenary and Closing Address 16:00 – 17:00

The cyber attack on the LAA’s IT systems has had profound impact on both legal aid providers and clients trying to access help and support. Over recent months, the LAA has introduced a range of contingency measures after deciding to take all of its digital systems offline to prevent. further attacks and improve system security. Chris Minnoch, CEO, LAPG and Richard Miller, Head of Justice, The Law Society discussed the state of play by the time of the conference, looking at issues such as ongoing contingency measures, the recoupment of the contingency payments made to providers, and compensating providers for the additional costs they incurred as a result of the data breach.

David Thomas, Head of Contract Management and Assurance, LAA and Hitesh Patel, Director of Transformation and Deputy CEO, LAA joined the panel to field questions from the floor.

Workshops

Supporting Your Team – Neurodivergent Teams – Better Ways of Working

Jenny Beck KC (Hon), Director of Beck Fitzgerald, founding member of FLANC; and Rebecca Pantelli, Director, Beck Fitzgerald

Current Issues in Immigration & Asylum Legal Aid

Jawaid Luqmani, Founding Partner, Luqmani Thompson.

Current Issues in Criminal Legal Aid and Prison Law

Casey Jenkins, President of LCCSA; Rakesh Bhasin, LAPG Advisory Committee Member; Andrew Sperling, Director, SL5 Legal; and Dr. Laura Janes KC (Hon), LAPG Advisory Committee Member

Supporting Your Team – Managing Through a Crisis

Matthew Howgate, consultant; and Vicky Ling, consultant

Current Issues in Family Legal Aid

Jenny Beck KC (Hon), Director, Beck Fitzgerald ; Lucy Verity, Director, Philcox Gray. Chair: Beverley Watkins, Partner, Watkins Solicitors

Current Issues in Housing & Debt Legal Aid

Rosaleen Kilbane, Partner, Community Law Partnership; Diane Astin, Solicitor, Honorary Lecturer in Legal Practice at Brunel University; and Kate Pasfield, Director of Legal Aid Policy, LAPG

A Career in Legal Aid

Members of Young Legal Aid Lawyers, Georgia-Mae Chung, Barrister, Mountford Chambers, Maya Jordan-Shah, Solicitor, TV Edwards LLP, Alaa Ahmed, Trainee Solicitor, Wilson Solicitors and Ollie Persey, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers

Supporting Your Team – PAMELA Support Network

Dr. Laura Janes KC (Hon), LAPG Advisory Committee Member, Dr. Estelle Moore, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist and Kate Muir, women’s health expert, documentary maker and author

Cost Maximisation

Sally Halmshaw, Costs Lawyer and Deputy Regional Manager, John M Hayes Ltd

Thanks to Richard Gray for the photos

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Conference Sponsors