Martin Partington: Spotlight on the Justice System

When the Legal Services Commission was created, legal aid was technically replaced by the Community Legal Service and the Criminal Defence Service. The abolition of the LSC, from 1 April 2013, is leading to some significant ‘rebranding’. This note summarises the changes, and updates the text in my book which is now out of date.

1. The Legal Services Commission becomes the Legal Aid Agency on 1 April 2013 .
2. Community Legal Service (CLS) will be referred to as civil legal aid from 1 April 2013.
3. Criminal Defence Service (CDS) will be referred to as criminal legal aid from 1 April 2013.
4. Community Legal Advice will be renamed as Civil Legal Advice from 1 April 2013. It will have the strapline: ‘Civil Legal Advice, a national adviceline for England & Wales, paid for by Legal Aid’.
5. CDS Direct will be renamed as Criminal Defence Direct (CDD) from 1 April 2013.

See http://www.justice.gov.uk/legal-aid/newslatest-updates/crime-news/what-happens-to-lsc-logos-in-april-2013