The Law Society has launched a new internet campaign to educate and engage the public in the defence of legal aid.

The campaign’s primary aim is to place pressure on government to reconsider its proposed reforms to legal aid.

At this first stage, the campaign is calling upon individuals and organisations to show support against the proposed cuts by signing up to its principles of justice and representation. These are:

1. The right to legal representation is a fundamental principle of a civilised society;
2. No one should be denied legal help because they cannot afford it;
3. Everyone should be entitled to challenge the decisions of public authorities, institutions and big business and receive the help to do so;
4. Access to justice needs to be both fair and efficient with the system free of waste, unnecessary bureaucracy and expenditure;
5. The courts, their officers, suppliers and contractors have a duty to manage the judicial process with fairness and efficiency;
6. The state has a right to recoup money from those who misuse the system.

The new web site can be found at http://soundoffforjustice.org