The outcome of the Law Society SGM yesterday, a vote of no confidence in the approach adopted to the current “transformation” of Legal Aid, will be news to nobody. We felt it inappropriate to comment in advance and feel likewise now; it really is not our place.
Having people we know, and respect, on opposite sides of the debate heightens this unease. One such person, long term friend of this site Rodney Warren, expressly cautioned against the potential personalisation of the issue in his contribution to yesterday’s debate. This is a view with which we agree and which provides the motivation for this post – our sole comment on the issue. We echo Rod’s sentiment in particular with regard to Richard Miller; firstly because he is a staff member of the Society but more importantly because both his integrity, and his commitment to the defence of legal aid, are unquestionable.
The sgm was not against any individual per se, and I agree Richard has been an able ally and defender of legal aid. The motion was for the the law society to reflect that in the compromise it put forward it effectively wiped out 1100 firms and certainly all sole practitioners. The law society needs to admend the way it fails to seek approval from those very members it sought to wipe out. They took the views of a select few rather than realising it needed the views of the many.