LEGAL AID CHALLENGE

A legal aid anomaly has been corrected by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) following a successful means test court challenge brought by the Public Law Project. The MoJ has removed an anomalous rule which treated mortgage debt over £100,000 as assets, which meant individuals were denied legal aid on the grounds of mortgage debts. The Law Society supported the legal challenge, but said the mortgage debt issue is just one of many flaws in the means test which it has been highlighting to ministers. 18 December 2020