Immigration Solicitors

Duncan Lewis Solicitors' ongoing work regarding the immigration and asylum legal aid crisis has been prominently featured in the Law Gazette. The article highlights comments from solicitor Jeremy Bloom, who warned that while an ‘above-inflation’ increase in legal aid fees is expected, it must cover all types of immigration and asylum controlled work and it will need to be enough of an increase to allow providers to take on these cases.

Duncan Lewis challenged the Lord Chancellor in the High Court over the failure to raise legal aid rates for ‘immigration and asylum controlled work’ or to address the provision issues in a timely and effective manner. Our evidence showed that the clear reason for the problems with access to legal representation is the 48% real-terms cut in the rates payable for this kind of work since 1996, the last time that rates were increased.

In September 2024, Duncan Lewis withdrew its legal action against the government after receiving assurances that the Lord Chancellor would make a decision on fee rates by the end of November. However, in the recent article by the Law Gazette, Solicitor Jeremy Bloom added: ‘Any decision that fails to resolve the crisis in immigration and asylum legal aid may be susceptible to further challenge.’

This coverage by Law Gazette underscores the importance of addressing the long-standing issues within the legal aid system, particularly for immigration and asylum work, and highlights the significant role that Duncan Lewis Solicitors is playing in advocating for meaningful change.

The full article can be read here: Warning over lord chancellor's 'above-inflation legal aid fee increase' | Law Gazette

Jeremy Bloom is a solicitor in the Public Law and Immigration departments at Duncan Lewis Solicitors, having joined the firm in September 2017. He has led several high-profile judicial review claims, including various cases against the Lord Chancellor regarding access to legal aid, challenges to the Home Office’s Windrush Immigration and Compensation Schemes, and challenges to Home Office policies in relation to enrolment of biometrics in Afghanistan, asylum support accommodation, and changes to the immigration rules preventing care workers from bringing their dependents to the UK. He can be contacted for advice at jeremyb@duncanlewis.com or on 020 3114 1260.

About Our Public Law Team

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.