Legal Aid Discussion Paper Released

A discussion paper on the state of Legal Aid has been released by Minister of Justice Simon Power.The paper, written by Dame Margaret Bazley, is the culmination of an initial scoping project involving significant consultation with stakeholders around New Zealand. The discussion paper is the first step in the planned agenda of making the justice system more efficient and effective. Other areas highlighted for attention are:A simplification of criminal proceedings The use of technology that will allow people to participate remotely in proceedingsThe full text paper titled 'Improving the Legal Aid System: A public discussion paper', can be found on the Ministry of Justice’s website at: http://www.justice.govt.nz/policy-and-consultation/legal-aid-review