Lawyers continue fight against SNP attack on legal aid

Edinburgh and Glasgow solicitors are to stage further industrial action against the SNP government's plans to slash the legal aid budget by £3.9 million and force people facing criminal charges who have more than £68 a week in disposable income to pay court costs.

The lawyers will have to collect these fees themselves, which they say will strain their relationships with clients.

Holyrood Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill defended the changes on Sunday, telling the BBC that it was in keeping with human rights laws and that four in five legal aid claimants won't have to pay anything.

He said that a similar system in England and Wales hadn't got in the way of justice.

But the Law Society of Scotland considers the change "unfair" for "those who find themselves accused of a crime and to the solicitors acting on their behalf."

Lawyers in Edinburgh picketed a court and refused to act on behalf of defendants in a custody court last week.

Law Society president Austin Lafferty said his members "believe passionately in protecting our legal aid system and are deeply concerned by some of the key aspects of the proposed changes.

"The Scottish government's latest drive to reduce the legal aid budget cannot be seen in isolation from the savings already made over the last few years.

"This has included significant cuts to the fees paid to solicitors for acting on behalf of people who cannot themselves afford legal representation."

Justice committee MSPs have also criticised the plans but the Bill is almost through the Scottish Parliament.