Cyber-hack on Legal Aid Agency leaves abuse victims in danger

A cyber-attack on the government's Legal Aid Agency in April has left lawyers unable to bill for their work and victims of domestic abuse struggling to get representation.

- Poppy Bullard

One KC said the extra hours of administrative work required as a result of the attack mean she will represent “two or three” fewer victims of domestic abuse each week than before. She is concerned other victims will not seek representation because of the risk of their data being stolen.

The hack came at a time when legal aid lawyers are already stretched. Those in family law, one of the lowest-paid areas of the profession, have not had a pay increase in decades.

Leslie Samuels KC, vice-chair of the Family Law Bar Association, fears lawyers will move out of the sector to seek more stable work. He said: “We will see an increasing number of providers... simply giving up the work and moving into other areas...