'Activist lawyers' slur condemned

The rule of law is being undermined by attacks on the integrity of the legal profession, Law Society president Simon Davis said.

He condemned a recent description of immigration lawyers as “activist lawyers” in a government video as “misleading and dangerous”.

The animated video was published by the Home Office on social media channels last week but was then removed after being viewed a reported 1.6m times.

Davis commented: “We should be proud that we live in a country where legal rights cannot be overridden without due process; and we should be proud that we have legal professionals who serve the rule of law.”

In a democratic society, he said, it is vital for each case to be judged on merit and that “it is the role of the justice system to determine the validity of claims.

“This function is and must remain independent of government, media and public opinion”.

He went on to say that this independence “hinges on lawyers and judges not being hindered or intimidated in carrying out their professional duties and not being identified with their clients or their clients' causes”.