Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012

Summary

LASPO 2012 drastically reformed legal aid, removing most civil legal aid except for specified categories. It also reformed sentencing, conditional fee agreements, and rehabilitation periods for spent convictions.

Key Points

• Removed most civil legal aid — retained for family (domestic violence), immigration (asylum), housing (homelessness/possession), debt (home at risk), clinical negligence (brain injury)
• Created the Legal Aid Agency replacing Legal Services Commission
• Exceptional Case Funding for ECHR/EU law cases
• Reformed CFAs — success fees and ATE premiums no longer recoverable from losing party
• Introduced Damages-Based Agreements (contingency fees) for civil litigation
• Shortened rehabilitation periods under Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

Parts & Sections

Amendments History