Most recently we have raised this issue with David Stewart MSP.
Before this we have taken a range of steps to try and access justice. These include:
- Asking the Law Society of Scotland for a list of firms undertaking human rights cases and a list of firms undertaking legal aid work. Lists were provided but were out of date.
- Contacted over 50 law firms. The majority of these did not take on human rights cases and most of those that did indicated they would only take on human rights cases involving ‘prisoners or immigrants’ (their words, not ours).
- Being told by the few firms that may take on human rights cases that they would only do so providing they were paid a fairly considerable amount of money in advance of any work. (Including comments such as needing to pay £25,000 before even reading the papers on our case or not taking on the case on a legal aid basis as they would receive only £27 per hour compared to the £175 per hour they charge.)