Nottingham Law Centre challenges Justice Secretary and local MP

The challenge to Kenneth Clarke QC comes in the wake of controversial remarks he made in a recent interview, suggesting that lawyers' opposition to legal aid cuts was disingenuous.

Staff at Nottingham Community Law Centre have today issued a challenge to Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke, MP for Rushcliffe, after his remarks In a recent interview with the International Bar Association about the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill.

“Mr Clarke said that legal aid lawyers are ‘disingenuous and advancing behind a line of women and children’, implying that they are only concerned about their pay rather than the welfare of their clients,” explained Law Centre Manager Cheryl Weston.

“We are outraged by Mr Clarke’s remarks” she added, “How can a career politician accuse us of being disingenuous when every day we are working with people in crisis to pick up the pieces of their lives when no one else has been there for them?”

“The average salary of a Law Centre lawyer is less than £30,000. People work in Law Centres out of commitment to their communities, not to feather their own nests. His insulting remarks were an attempt to shift focus from the eight hours of debate in the House of Lords where over 50 speakers from all parties denounced Ken Clarke’s senseless cuts to legal aid.”

“We have written to Mr Clarke inviting him to spend a day in the Law Centre to find out what Law Centre lawyers really do – then perhaps he will also understand the impact of his cuts on all the clients we serve, including women and children.”

“We’d also like him to donate the difference between his salary and a Law Centre lawyer’s pay for the day to the local children’s charity, When You Wish Upon a Star.

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For more information please contact
1 Cheryl Weston, Nottingham Law Centre, tel. 0115 978 7813 ext 207 Email
2 Pamela Judge, Law Centres Federation Communications Manager tel. 01452 3015320 Email

Notes to editors

  • Speaking in an interview with the James Lewis for the International Bar Association Kenneth Clarke said “The last time I met the back bench Peers, in the House of Lords, who were about to debate this I said what you have marching towards you is an army of lawyers advancing behind a line of women and children, saying of course they are not concerned about the income of the profession; their only concern is for these vulnerable clients who will be adversely affected if they are not paid at the rate they currently are.” See the clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKTsf-9Ieuw&feature=related
  • The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on November 21st. For more information see http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-11/legalaidsentencingandpunishmentofoffenders.html
  • The Bill’s proposals remove almost all social welfare law (e.g. welfare benefits, debt, housing, education, community care) advice from legal aid. 2,470 people in Nottingham will be left without any way of enforcing their rights when they are faced with employment, welfare benefits or debt problems and only a proportion of the 1290 people currently able to access housing advice will still be able to access the help they need at an early stage in their case.
  • For details of When You Wish Upon a Star please see http://www.whenyouwishuponastar.org.uk/.

    • Published: Fri 2 Dec, 2011