Gove demands that rich lawyers do more to fill gaps caused by his government’s legal aid cuts

The justice secretary, Michael Gove, has said that rich lawyers and firms should do more to make justice available for all following the removal of access to justice for most of the public by his government’s legal aid cuts.

Gove said that those who benefitted financially from the justice system should "invest in its roots", though it remains unclear at this stage whether he intends for firms to contribute through pro bono work or cash payments. As reported by The Guardian, Gove also hinted that there may be legislation planned to back up his tough words.

Lawyers and firms were exasperated by Gove's announcement, pointing out that commercial lawyers do not have expertise in criminal and family law, while many firms already donate a lot of time to pro bono work. Gove's remonstrations over access to justice deficiencies caused by his own government’s £600 million legal aid cuts in the last parliament were also not received well.

Gove also described a justice system fractured between rich and poor, saying: "There are two nations in our justice system at present. On the one hand the wealthy, international class who can choose to settle cases in London with the gold standard of British justice. And then everyone else, who has to put up with a creaking, outdated system to see justice done in their own lives. The people who are let down most badly by our justice system are those who must take part in it through no fault or desire of their own: victims and witnesses of crime, and children who have been neglected."

Incidentally, in other legislative news Gove’s superior, David Cameron, is moving to repeal the Child Poverty Act which commits the government to ensuring that less than one in 10 children lives in poverty. Cameron called the Act "absurd", but The Times reports that his real fear stems from a warning that the Act could be used to legally challenge the government’s next round of welfare cuts.