Friday 27 February 2015

Not the Global Law Summit: Rally Report

On Monday 23/02/15, I and some intrepid colleagues from Wainwright & Cummins attended the Not the Global Law Summit rally outside of Parliament (and just down the street from the Global Law Summit) at lunchtime. We and several hundred others braved extremely chilly temperatures and brisk winds to listen to the speakers and soak up the atmosphere.

As this year is the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, the rally had an entertainingly mediaeval feel, with a band of mediaeval musicians, a jester, and of course the now-famous papier mache Chris Grayling, dressed up as King John.


The speakers took on the topic of access to justice and the cuts to legal aid from a variety of different perspectives. We heard about the impact on the probation service, both sides of the legal profession – barristers and solicitors – and perhaps most heart-rendingly, we heard from victims of miscarriages of justice and from the families of those who died in state custody. From these speakers the message was particularly clear: without legal aid and effective access to justice, deaths in state custody and miscarriages of justice will only increase.

The final speaker was the brilliant actress Maxine Peake, star of the television series ‘Silk’, in which she plays criminal barrister Martha Costello QC. Ms Peake movingly and powerfully read extracts from the Magna Carta emphasising the importance of access to justice for a fair society: ‘To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice’.

For many of us working in the legal profession, and particularly for those of us who work in legal aid, it can feel as though those words are being forgotten and ignored, in the current political climate which prioritises profit over people and chooses cuts over fairness and justice.




The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the firm or its partners.

Friday 20 February 2015

Access to Justice Bulletin

1.      Judicial Review of Crime Contract Tendering

Wainwright & Cummins were very sorry and disappointed to hear of the refusal by the High Court of the Judicial Reviews by the Law Society and the CLSA & LCCSA against the two-tier Crime Contracts which the Lord Chancellor is attempting to introduce.

To many this might seem like a petty fight over small details of Criminal Legal Aid. But in fact it goes right to the heart of the crucial matter of Access to Justice. It is clear to those of us supporting the Judicial Review that the new, two-tier contracts could only have a worrying impact on the ability of clients to get proper legal representation. It will lead to many Criminal Law firms being forced to close, and to others forced to consolidate into ever larger and larger firms, losing any concept of small and medium-sized firms that are rooted in the local community. Moreover, even if those firms that have merged were to obtain a contract, there is no guarantee that they will continue to remain sustainable following the draconian cuts to the budget.

We are maintaining hope that an appeal to the Court of Appeal, to be heard on 27/02/15, may be successful yet; and we are proud of all of the hard work that has gone into the Judicial Review thus far. The profession has come together over this issue, and that, if nothing else, has been a positive outcome of the situation.

2.      The Global Law Summit

This year is the 800th anniversary of that foundational document of rights and access to justice: Magna Carta. Many events and celebrations are being held across the country to remind us of the importance of this articulation of access to justice in any fair society.

In particular, the Lord Chancellor has decided to host a ‘Global Law Summit’ between 23-25 February here in London. It will, supposedly, both celebrate Magna Carta and show the world the face of the modern British legal system

Critics have pointed out many flaws with the Summit, not least of which is that the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta is in fact in June. Some might suggest that the Lord Chancellor has unwisely placed the Global Law Summit in February, rather than the correct anniversary of Magna Carta, in order to capitalise on it prior to the upcoming General Election in May.

The event is, to many, beginning to look more and more like a celebration of only very specific areas of the British legal system: specifically, commercial and corporate City law firms. It is not celebrating the concept that access to justice should be available to all members of the public, whether wealthy or not. It disappoints that the Summit has not been designed to be inclusive, both in terms of its subject matter and its invitees.

Regrettably, tickets to the Global Law Summit cost £1750 per head if bought on the day. That beyond anything seems to confirm that the Summit is, a) primarily aimed at corporate lawyers and business law, and b) is inaccessible to Legal Aid lawyers.

There is, however, a wonderful alternative to the Global Law Summit which is being embraced by the Legal Aid community. It is fittingly called the Not the Global Law Summit, and consists of various events supporting access to justice including:
  • The ‘Relay for Rights’, from Runnymede on 21/02/15 to Old Palace Yard in Westminster at 1pm on 23/02/15;
  • ‘Stand Up for Legal Aid’, a night of comedy and music on 23/02/15, at the Union Chapel in Islington.


We strongly suggest that anyone interested in Magna Carta, legal aid, or access to justice for the most vulnerable among us, should come along to the Not the Global Law Summit and show your support.

Thursday 19 February 2015

More Good News...

We are continuing with our 'Good News from Wainwright & Cummins' theme with this blog post, though watch this space for an 'Access to Justice Bulletin' later today in which we will be considering some rather less good news from the world of legal aid. But for now, our highly experienced Crown Court ligitator Mr Marvin Roberts discusses some recent successes, and the meaning of success in criminal work.

Success is difficult to measure and to quantify and is very often a very personal thing. In our job, success is measured in many different ways. The success of this firm is measured almost exclusively in the results of our cases and in that respect we have been very successful in the last year. In the last quarter our success has been astronomical and personally I have had a plethora of acquittals that have meant a lot to me: the offences have ranged from the basic Crown Court theft, to the most heinous.

I would like to say that this is a reflection of the work that I put in to the cases, but I can honestly say that I have always put in as much work as possible. I have always spent at least eight hours at work each day and then spent long periods at home or at police stations continuing the work that I do. Most people will never see the work that my colleagues and I put in but our families will be very aware of it.

So in the last few months I have been extremely successful. I have had acquittals on all of my Crown Court cases, many of which were newsworthy and reported prior to the conclusion; in several of those cases the evidence appeared overwhelming, but we have got to the central issues and the juries have come to their conclusions.

That however, is just one measure. For me, I get a great sense of achievement from the not guilty verdicts, but also from the knowledge that I am valued by those that I work with. I value that my clients constantly put their trust in me and that they are confident enough in my work that they will entrust their family and friends to me. I value that when I walk into a police station, I have the trust of the person that I represent and the respect of the police officer in front of me. That officer will be aware that I will vociferously uphold the law for my client and ensure that they have the best possible advice and that my representation will go way beyond that of someone who is simply doing enough.


That then is the value of my success at Wainwright & Cummins; being an important part of an ever changing, vibrant Brixton community and seeing the positive results of my work in the thanks and the appreciation of those that I represent and those that I work for.