The Law Society of England and Wales has criticised the Legal Aid Agency for the lack of compensation for firms affected by last year’s cyber attack, despite the “devastating” impact it had on many legal aid practices at the time.
One year on from the attack, which left the LAA’s online systems unusable, president of the Law Society Mark Evans said it was “disgraceful” firms had still not been compensated.
“These firms play a key role ensuring everyone has the right to justice and for their voices to be heard, irrespective of their circumstances, such as assisting survivors of domestic abuse and representing people facing eviction and housing disrepair,” he said.
“But they operate on the margins on economic viability and were put to substantial expense, stress and significant additional bureaucracy, through no fault of their own, when the LAA systems were attacked. No small business should be required to bear the burden of such major additional cost caused by the failings of a government department.”
Today’s Family Lawyer readers and contributors told this publication of the impact on their businesses after the attack in May last year, in which as many as two million records dating back to 2007 were hacked, including cases of domestic abuse and details of vulnerable clients.
Speaking on the Today’s Family Lawyer Podcast at the time, Beverley Watkins, managing partner at Watkins Solicitors and vice chair of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, said the inability to submit bills for months left many firms worried about their survival, as they were already operating on “razor thin” margins as a result of chronic under-investment in Legal Aid funding.
In a candid admission, Watkins said her own firm had sought support from the bank when it came to payroll.
The Law Society said it had “long warned about the LAA’s antiquated computer systems” which, even before the attack, had prevented vital reforms because of their fragility, including updates to the means test that could help millions more access legal aid. The cyber-attack has delayed their implementation even further.
“We are seeking clarity from UK government on their timetable for implementing the means test changes,” said Evans.
”Legal aid provision is crucial to ensuring a level playing field for justice. There is still time for the government to make the right investment to ensure legal advice and support is available to all of us.”
