Law Society calculates benefit of legal aid for first time
The report undertaken by consultancy firm Deloitte, commissioned by the Law Society found that for every dollar spent, there was a benefit worth $2.06.
The benefits include reduced justice system cost through more efficient proceedings, and savings to households and the government as a result of decreased family violence.
The report was commissioned as part of the Law Society's submission to the Ministry of Justice, which is consulting on changes to the legal aid system.
The Government and the legal sector agree the current scheme is under pressure, and that demand is increasing, while fewer lawyers want to take on cases funded through legal aid.
The Ministry of Justice has proposed options for the system including improving incentives for junior counsel to provide legal aid, reducing expenditure on specialist reports - such as alcohol and drug reports - and introducing a bulk funding mechanism where groups of lawyers, or firms, could be contracted to provide a specified volume of cases for a fixed price.
The Law Society president is Frazer Barton, and Julie-Anne Kincade KC is the vice president of the Law Association and a criminal barrister.
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