Co-op head and sole practitioner co-chair LAPG
Future of legal aid 'under enormous threat' from implementation of LASPO, Beck says
Jenny Beck, head of professional practice at the Co-op’s family law service, and Nicola Mackintosh, a sole practitioner specialising in community care, have been elected as co-chairs of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group.
Beck, who is starting her third year in the post, said there was “nothing about legal aid which precludes large or small firms”.
The Co-op launched its family service in September, based in Paddington, London, and made up of 23 solicitors and two case-workers. A national phone line gives clients access to lawyers ‘within three rings’ and barristers are instructed to represent them in courts across the country.
Beck said that around a quarter of the Co-op’s work was publicly funded, and all of it was certificated work rather than legal help.
She went on: “The future of legal aid is under enormous threat, as everyone knows.
“Highly vulnerable people will be left without protection and there will be enormous consequences for families, with a lot of hidden casualties.”
Nicola Mackintosh, the other co-chair of the LAPG, is principal of Mackintosh Law in central London, which specialises in mental capacity and community care.
She said her firm was “small for a reason”.
Mackintosh said: “We want to maintain an extremely high quality of service and we find it works better in a small team.”
She said there were no immediate plans to convert to ABS status, but did not rule it out completely.
“If the needs of the business and of clients require a different model of working, we would look at it.”
Mackintosh said the implementation of LASPO would result in “utter chaos and extremely vulnerable people fleeing violence ending up at risk of harm”.
“This is a massive change, not just for providers, but for clients. They might be aware that there will be legal aid cuts, but will have no idea how it will affect them.
“Lawyers will be pouring over the Act to see if clients come within the scheme. There are lots of grey areas.”
Phil Walsh, partner at Miles & Partners, a medium-sized firm in London specialising in family, mental health and housing law, is the new vice chair of the LAPG.