As many of you know, the UK legal aid system is far better funded than that in the US, with Earl Johnston, for example, estimating that the per capita spending on civil legal aid in the UK is ten times what it is in the US.

So the news of heavy cuts can not be ignored.

Some of us have made the argument that the use of private lawyers, and the provision of services up the income scale has helped UK legal aid get into its relatively well funded position.  Others believe that the far higher UK funding is merely a function of a more generous welfare state.

As a general matter, the UK government is cutting costs across the board by about 25-30%, so in that context, the UK legal aid budget numbers are not particularly targeted.

Note that the Guardian article says that 62% of all applications for UK legal aid were for women.  The full article is well worth reading.

By the way, on a totally personal note, my father wrote for the Guardian for many years. Here is a review of a book about him in the Observer,  Victor Zorza: an inspiration remembered (bottom of linked area).  Here is the book itself, written by Rev. Michael Wright.