The peer review experts will be expected to help assess the quality of legal aid lawyers' advice
The UK’s Legal Aid Agency has launched a search for independent experts to assist in supervising assessments of legal aid lawyers’ advice, reported the Law Society Gazette.
The panel will consist of three experts who will manage the training, validation, and quality management of peer reviewers in criminal and civil legal aid. At present, legal categories subject to peer review are crime, family, housing immigration and asylum, and mental health.
On average, the workload has been estimated at 10 hours each month, although certain periods may be particularly busy. The tender for peer review independent experts is set to debut in November; contracts will be for five-year terms beginning early 2026.
The LAA indicated that “market engagement” would be conducted on the requirements for service before the tender launch, according to the Gazette. The sessions will be held remotely on September 3-4.
Feedback would then be incorporated into the coming service.
In June, the Law Society of England and Wales called for greater investment in civil legal aid to improve access to family, community care and mental health support. The legal regulator’s campaign included four key points: reinstating early legal advice for separating families; guaranteeing legal aid provision to both survivors and the accused in family law cases with abuse allegations; boosting the legal aid fee for critical areas like family law, mental health, community care; and implementing a fair means test to ensure access to justice for people in poverty.
In May, the UK’s justice ministry also concluded that the Legal Aid Agency was necessary to the justice system following a three-month review conducted in 2024.
Cybercriminals recently threatened the agency, which was victimized in an April 23 cyberattack, with the leak of over two million records that were stolen in the hack, including data linked to applicants’ partners.
