Lawyers and campaigners last week welcomed the decision by the Court of Appeal, which found the Government’s changes to the rules regarding legal aid for victims of domestic abuse to be ‘legally flawed’.
A rule that proof of domestic violence must be less than 24 months old was judged to be invalid by the Court of Appeal last week. The judges also ruled the changes were flawed because they exclude from Legal Aid victims of domestic violence who have suffered from financial abuse.
Ex Lord Chancellor and former, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling introduced the controversial changes in April 2013.
The ruling has been hailed as a victory for the campaign group Rights of Women (ROW) that appealed against a High Court judgement that upheld the changes as unlawful.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the appeal court judgement would be ‘carefully considered’.
Teresa Mannion, Associate Solicitor at Alsters Kelley LLP said, “Legal Aid is a lifeline for victims of domestic abuse and we hope that following this appeal the Government will take the necessary steps to rectify the situation.”
If you are a victim of domestic abuse and you think this decision may affect you and you would like some advice then please contact Teresa Mannion by email teresa.mannion@alsterskelley.com or telephone 02477 710238 or Emma Piff at emma.piff@alsterskelley.com or telephone 02477 710019.
Call now on 01926 356 053 to book an initial consultation for £300 plus VAT to speak to one of our Family Law specialists.