The Law Society of England and Wales has called on the Legal Aid Agency to get a grip on the situation after a significant data breach.
“It is extremely concerning that members of the public have had their personal data compromised in this cyber security incident and the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) must get a grip on the situation immediately,” said Wales president Richard Atkinson.
“The advice we have received from the LAA has been scarce and inadequate given the scale of this security breach. It is the LAA’s responsibility to address the problems with their own system including contacting all the legal aid applicants whose data has been compromised.
“The incident once again demonstrates the need for sustained investment to bring the LAA’s antiquated IT system up to date and ensure the public have continued trust in the justice system.
“The fragility of the IT system has prevented vital reforms, including updates to the means test that could help millions more access legal aid, and interim payments for firms whose cashflow is being decimated by the backlogs in the courts, through no fault of their own. If it is now also proving vulnerable to cyber-attack, further delay is untenable.
“Legal aid firms are small businesses providing an important public service and are operating on the margins of financial viability. Given that vulnerability, these financial security concerns are the last thing they need.”
