#saveukjustice petition tops 100,000

Rachel Bentley, a solicitor advocate based in Exeter, celebrated her birthday in style today when the number of signatures on her e-petition against the criminal legal aid cuts passed 100,000.

When the e-petition was first reported in Solicitors Journal back in April this year, the number of signatures stood at just over 25,000. By lunchtime today the figure was 100,408.

The petition has been widely promoted on Twitter and through www.saveUKjustice.net. "It's unbelievable," Bentley said. "The number has been rocketing up every half hour.

"It's not just legal aid lawyers, it must be members of the public," she said. "Every man and boy I've spoken to has said this is ridiculous, this is unfair.

"Taking away choice has been the line in the sand that has caused the most upset. The minister can go on repeating as often as he likes that there will still be quality standards, but that doesn't make it true."

Bentley, a partner at Trinity Advocates, said public support must have been crucial to the petition's success because she spent a lot of time lobbying City solicitors, who "could not have been less interested".

She said that apart from Irwin Mitchell, which "stood behind the petition and supported it", none of the other big firms had got back to her when she contacted them, which left her "very disappointed".

Bentley said she understood that some firms, which acted for the government, might not want to be seen to be involved in a political issue, but all she was asking was for them to circulate the petition.

She added that she would be "very interested" to see what the justice secretary said at next week's meeting of the justice select committee, particularly after his failure to attend this week's Commons backbench debate.

There were some indications from Labour that time would be given up in the parliamentary timetable to allow for a full ministerial debate, Bentley said.

"At least this gives us a chance. Let's hope it isn't the end."