The UK Law Soc Gazette
Aclearer picture of the fallout from a cyber attack on the Legal Aid Agency is starting to emerge – with legal aid lawyers, already operating on the edges of financial viability, facing delays in getting paid.
After discovering that ‘significant amounts’ of legal aid applicants’ personal data may have been accessed during a cyber attack on the LAA, the Ministry of Justice yesterday said it had taken the LAA Online Portal offline.
LAA chief executive Jane Harbottle said contingency plans were in place ‘to ensure those most in need of legal support and advice can continue to access the help they need during this time’.
However, one solicitor who runs a legal aid firm told the Gazette all they had been told was that when they can access the portal again, they will be able to backdate legal aid orders. But the solicitor said that until an application is processed, they have no idea if they will get legal aid.
‘We currently have no idea when the portal will be back up and so are unlikely to represent unless we have that guarantee of legal aid to avoid the risk of doing (even more) work for free,’ the solicitor said.
The Gazette understands that the online portal will remain offline until a replacement service is in place, which could take weeks. Providers have been given phone numbers and emails to contact the agency about applications and bills.
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