Happy 10th birthday to the Young Legal Aid Lawyers

What is the incentive to become a legal aid lawyer when the government are decimating public funding? Before becoming a law student, I was a legal secretary in London and earning £28,000. The average salary of a newly-qualified legal aid lawyer is £25,000.

I worked as a legal secretary in a criminal law firm and caught the bug. I started becoming more and more aware of social injustices, and wondered what I could do about it. I always had an interest in law, so becoming a legal aid lawyer was a no-brainer. I have chosen this career path, not for the money, but because I am committed to access to justice.

The biggest step the government took to reduce the legal aid spend was the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) 2012, which intended to cut legal aid in areas of law such as family, social welfare, housing, employment, and more. Despite a large opposition, this Act came into force on 1 April 2013. The effects of LASPO have been devastating.

Just eight days after LASPO came into force, the government's Transforming Legal Aid consultation began. The proposals were disastrous. They intended to cut legal aid drastically in both civil and criminal areas. Fortunately, some of these harmful proposals have been deserted for now, including the residence test which has been ruled 'discriminatory and unlawful' by the High Court.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to me for our next government, whoever they may be, to maintain and uphold the rule of law. Over the last two years, the first non-legally qualified Lord Chancellor, Chris Grayling, has been slowly destroying our justice system.

Since the introduction of LASPO, people who desperately need legal representation are told that legal aid is not available to them and have no choice but to represent themselves and, as a consequent, litigants in person are causing delays in the court system, through no fault of their own.

It is vital that the government protect the most vulnerable - meaning those suffering from mental health issues or who are victims of abuse - but under this government that has simply not been happening.

It is so important that students, paralegals, and young lawyers, who, like me, have an interest in social justice and legal aid, make themselves heard. Not only are the Young Legal Aid Lawyers (YLAL) committed to practising in areas of law which are publicly funded, we are campaigning for a sustainable legal aid system and are committed to increasing social mobility in the legal aid sector. Aside from that, we are a social network for like-minded, passionate, and dedicated people.

This month, the YLAL are celebrating their 10th birthday. Join us on 23 April at London's South Bank University by clicking here. It's a cause most definitely worth celebrating.

Long live legal aid.

Gemma Blythe is a law student at the University of Kent and is a committee member of the YLAL

@Gemma_Blythe