CrowdJustice

Every year, thousands of CrowdJustice Backers help get cases to court. People-powered legal action is creating change across the UK. This list of important, impactful and interesting cases was chosen by CrowdJustice staff, as well as our community of lawyers. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ed-j3UTr Over the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting each of these case so you can learn more.

"Many of the most vulnerable in our society – including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, victims of domestic and sexual violence, and victims of torture and trafficking – cannot find a lawyer to take on their asylum or immigration matter despite being entitled to legal aid." Duncan Lewis Solicitors Ltd., one of the largest providers of civil legal aid in the UK, is launching legal action to challenge the Lord Chancellor over rates of pay for immigration and asylum legal aid work, which have not increased since 1996. The Guardian recently reported that this equates to "a drop in real terms of 48%." The firm point out that "providers of legal aid cannot afford to do crucial work on asylum claims and appeals any longer as they suffer financial losses for every case that they take on. As a result, vulnerable people cannot find lawyers to represent them." According to figures from #lawsocietygazette, there is a huge gap between the demand for legal assistance and those who are actually getting the help they need: from 2019-2023, there was a 159% increase in the number of asylum applications made, but only a 32% increase in the number of matters opened by civil legal aid providers. Read more and support this important campaign on CrowdJustice here: https://lnkd.in/eNagJBda

Today is a win for all generations! The Court has ruled that government failure to rapidly cut emissions is a violation of human rights. Although our #youth4climatejustice case was ruled inadmissible the court recognised the climate crisis is an existential threat to humanity. The #KlimaSenirorinnen success is not just confined to Switzerland. All European countries must now follow the this science-based decision and comply immediately or face legal action in their national courts. This ruling is a call to action for the climate movement – we will not stop demanding action from governments on their clear obligations, set out in this ruling, to prevent climate catastrophe. Gerry Liston, GLAN Senior Lawyer said, “Today’s ruling against Switzerland sets a historic precedent that applies to all European countries. It means that all European countries must urgently revise their targets so that they are science-based and aligned to 1.5 degrees. This is a massive win for all generations.”

The letter that changed it all… This is a copy of the letter which the government’s legal department sent to me, the human rights lawyer Alex Rook and the small group of parents, that I recruited from my national online parent carer group and my crowdfunding backers in November 2023. It is telling us that the government WILL change government policy to make it more inclusive of ALL children with SEN and disability. This is the letter which changed policy. This is the letter which made the government finally change their mind and help. This is the letter where, for the first time, the government promised to update their policy (by around March 2024). This is the letter which only came about because I chose to: • steer my disability inclusion campaign into legal action • independently fundraise for legal fees • crowdfund via CrowdJustice • involve top human rights lawyers Thank goodness I made the decision to lead the campaign into legal action against all odds. Now we wait for the updated guidance… I hope it helps all the children missing out.

Thank you to everyone who supported us (financially and otherwise) in our net zero legal challenge over Salt Cross Garden Village. Judgment handed down today...and we won! Justice Lieven ruled it was unlawful for the planning inspectors to dilute the net zero ambitions of this development based on the out-of-date 2015 ministerial statement. She also affirmed our standing in the case - which the Government had questioned, calling us busybodies with no legitimate interest or concern. Justice Leiven stated that we are 'an NGO established and operating in precisely the field of this AAP and this challenge, namely the role of LPA development plan making and climate change. That is an issue of enormous public concern, and one where [RCA] has particular knowledge and interest" Our director Naomi Luhde-Thompson - the main 'busybody' in question said “This case was David v Goliath; on one side, a community and local council fighting for the most ambitious net zero standards for a new local area. On the other, a developer seemingly concerned only about profit, and a lame-duck Government determined to undermine local democracy and local voices.” “As an organisation, we truly understand that the most practical and effective way forward for delivering net zero is through making every local development decision matter on climate change. We want to support local community and local council visions for net zero.” “This judgment affirms what we already know needs to happen across the country. Local action from communities and local councils, developing and adopting zero-carbon plans, needs Government support – not nonsensical barriers, which run contrary to everything that needs to happen now, to achieve climate safety and security for us all.” Get in touch here if you would like a copy of the judgment, join our mailing list or get involved. And stay tuned for more! #Climateactivism #Planninglaw #Climateactionnow #NetZero #WeAreHere