Baroness Carr, a keen believer in judicial diversity, has raised the point that legal representation is not equally available throughout the UK courts system.
In an update given on the state of the courts to the Justice Select Committee, Baroness Carr has both praised the government’s current work in practising the rule of law. However, in the same speech she also drew attention to the fact that the current legal system is not working hard enough. Although every man, woman, and child might be equal in the eyes of the law, not every one of them has the same access to it due to financial barriers.
The Lady Chief Justice urged the current government to rethink this strategy on diversity during her speech in late November. She raised many valid points to the Justice select committee. Among other suggestions d The system does not go far enough to encourage equality unless legal aid receives funding enough to make it available to everyone.
Courts Face Extensive Backlogs
This committee meeting came as the UK and Northern Irish court system is experiencing chronic backlogs. With defendants and victims waiting for longer before facing trials, the Baroness cited that this caused unnecessary distress. The Lady Chief Justice went on to state that the Concordat process of deciding sitting days had failed. This has led to less available court days which has had a knock-on effect on the system. Delays to these trials coupled with stress placed on those involved has been enough for the Baroness to urge the government for correct funding.
Noting that the UK justice system is the backbone of civilisation in the UK, the Baroness called on both the state and society as a whole to ensure that the system was fully funded. For her own part in the system, the Baroness pledged that she would do her upmost to ensure that next years process for sitting would be more effective. She stated that she would push for the highest available number of sittings possible.
With claims for employer’s liability, public liability, and claims investigations teams all reporting lengthier wait times in case closures, the echoes of this lack of resources is being felt across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Poor Progress Made in Diversity Among Judges
Ever fluent in the diversity of the judicial system, the Baroness noted her disappointment that recent diversity drives have not been as successful as the committee would have preferred. There are still significantly fewer Black judges in the UK justice system than is statistically representational of the people such judges represent.
The Lady Chief Justice cited her involvement with Magic Circle law firms as evidentiary of her commitment to increasing diversity within the judicial system. The Baroness ended her speech by reinforcing her commitment to listening to the needs of Black judges so that she could encourage progress in this area in an ongoing basis.
An Increase in Funding is Imminent
In a concurrent announcement, the ministry of Justice within the UK pledged a £30 million investment going towards providing legal aid for both housing and immigration sectors. This is a significant move representing the first major update to this type of funding within the UK for three decades.