It’s been a good week for the Ministry of Justice ?
The Bar Council has given the thumbs up to a statement released by Liz Truss on Brexit, even though it was pretty fluffy.
In light of this week’s Theresa May Brexit speech, Lord Chancellor Truss said, well, not very much at all. Here’s her statement in full:
English law is rightly renowned across the globe, making this country a great place to invest, do business, litigate and seek justice. It is in the interests of all European countries who want to do business here that we maintain civil justice cooperation when we leave the EU, so we are already working to make sure we get the best possible deal for the profession. As we enter this exciting new era, I am pleased to be working with judges and the industry to ensure we tap into all talents and continue to lead the world in the increasingly competitive legal services sector.
The Justice Secretary is not often one to attract praise (she was lambasted by the profession for failing to defend the judiciary against media attacks). But the Bar Council — which to be fair never misses an opportunity to issue a statement — has really got on board with her sentiment.
Backing Truss’s comments, the chairman of the bar, Andrew Langdon QC, said:
Preserving certainty and uniformity for cross-border civil and family judgements [sic, tut-tut] is critical to the protection of millions of citizens who travel to or buy goods from other Member States. The same applies to thousands of small businesses which operate across borders.
Both Truss and Langdon will be glad to know this issue is being reviewed by the House of Lords EU committee, which is chaired by Doughty Street barrister Helena Kennedy QC.
This isn’t the first profession-backed round of applause Truss has received this week. Lawyers were delighted to learn that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced a timetable for its long-awaited review of legal aid cuts.
It was reported on Wednesday the MoJ will be reviewing the much-hated Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) by April 2018, so keep your eyes peels for what this throws up.
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