The number of cases in family court which has seen both parties have no legal representation has almost doubled in the last year alone according to a report from the National Audit Office. (NAO)
89% Increase
The report shows an increase of 89% in cases involving children where both parties represented themselves. More than of 8,100 cases had both parties unrepresented with the total number of cases surpassing 17,200.
According to the report carried out by the NAO the rise in the number of unrepresented parties will result in an increase in cost for the taxpayer with a case without a lawyer present taking up to 50% longer to be concluded. The report stated that costs of self representation could cost the taxpayer £3.4 million a year due to cases taking longer to finalise.
Legal Aid Changes
As mentioned in our last blog, the amount of legal aid was reduced through the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 which changed the system to receive legal aid, with the fees paid to providers also being lowered by 10%.
Despite calls from senior judges to reverse the decision to cut legal aid, an MoJ spokesman said: “This was never going to be an easy process, but we have made the necessary reductions while ensuring legal aid remains available where people most need legal help.”
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