Legal reform plans are toned down

Lord Falconer urged solicitors not to go on strike

Proposals to reform the legal aid system have been modified following a storm of protests and threats of strike action from the legal profession.

Plans to deny many solicitors payment for time spent travelling to police stations or courts have been shelved.

But the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, said many reforms for England and Wales will go ahead. He urged solicitors not to strike over the issue.

The Law Society has said the reforms would deny vulnerable people legal aid.

The society's campaign, called 'What Price Justice' was backed by 19 groups, including Citizens Advice and Shelter.

It said the number of solicitors undertaking legal aid work was already falling, and the changes would worsen the situation.

One of the things we want to see an end of is £1 million paid to a barrister from legal aid in a year Lord Falconer

But Lord Falconer insisted the government would go ahead with plans to introduce a competitive market and fixed fees for legal aid work.

"One of the things we want to see an end of is £1m paid to a barrister from legal aid in a year," he said.

"It's something we never want to see again in relation to properly-handled cases in the future."

However, he warned that some large legal aid claims from solicitors are still be going through the system.

But some of the reforms have now been be put back six months until October 2007.

'Worst thing'

Asked if he believed the dispute would lead to solicitors going on strike, Lord Falconer said: "I strongly urge them not to.

"The worst thing that can happen is that they take industrial action."

Chief Executive of the Legal Services Commission Carolyn Regan, who is responsible for administering legal aid funds, said the revised plans were expected to save the same amount of money.

The original plans, published earlier this year, aim to redistribute £100m a year from criminal legal aid work to civil work and save £30m a year in administrative costs.

Lord Carter of Coles, who put forward the proposals, said they would improve legal aid provision.

But the Law Society estimated as many as 800 law practices, equivalent to a quarter of current legal aid providers, could closes as a result of the Carter Review proposals.