In The Press

Duncan Lewis Solicitors has received significant media coverage following the withdrawal of the judicial review claim against the Lord Chancellor in June 2024. The claim challenged the government’s failure or refusal to raise the Legal Aid rates for ‘controlled work’ in the field of immigration and asylum (‘Controlled Immigration Work’), or to take any other action capable of addressing the serious problems with the provision of this form of legal aid in a timely and effective way (‘the Claim’).

This development comes after the Lord Chancellor committed to making a decision on raising legal aid rates by the end of November, followed by a consultation on the issue should she make a decision to raise rates.

In a recent article in The Big Issue, Jeremy Bloom, a solicitor at Duncan Lewis in the public law and immigration departments, highlighted the financial challenges faced by the firm. “We lose a few hundred pounds on every case we take on. Even though we see the need for it and want to support our clients, we simply can’t operate at the scale we have previously.” Duncan Lewis has been forced to turn away 80% of cases referred by NGOs. Bloom emphasized that this lack of access to early-stage legal aid ends up costing the government more in the long run. “We see many appeals that shouldn’t even reach the tribunal. If cases were properly handled from the start, many clients would have likely been granted leave or asylum right away.”

In a second article, The Big Issue spotlighted the systemic issues in the legal aid system, describing how it leaves vulnerable asylum seekers facing ‘life and death’ decisions without adequate legal support.

As we await the outcome in November, Duncan Lewis remains committed to ensuring that legal aid providers can continue to represent the most vulnerable members of society without sustaining financial losses.

The full articles discussing the outcome can be found here:

The asylum legal aid crisis is costing taxpayers more than you think. Here's why - Big Issue

'Broken' legal aid system leaves vulnerable asylum seekers facing 'life and death' decisions alone – Big Issue

Duncan Lewis Solicitors was represented by Toufique Hossain, Jeremy Bloom, Nina Kamp and Elizabeth Cole, and instructed Chris Buttler KC, Eleanor Mitchell and Jack Boswell at Matrix Chambers as counsel in the Claim.

Duncan Lewis Solicitors

Duncan Lewis has the leading public law and immigration practice in the UK. The team frequently takes on and successfully brings challenges in some of the most high profile cases in the UK, including in relation to the Rwanda plan and Manston House. The company was recently crowned Law Firm of the Year 2024 at the LexisNexis awards, and noted for its commitment to providing justice for all.

Duncan Lewis is renowned for its exceptional legal services and commitment to justice. The company employs a team of highly skilled solicitors offering top-tier representation in 25 fields of law, and ranked as top tier by the Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500 legal guides, and as one of the top 250 law firms in the country by the Times.