Bar Council calls for legal aid for all family court cases involving domestic abuse

Only 15% of families are eligible for legal aid which has led to huge swathes of UK becoming legal advice deserts', body says

The Bar Council has called for all family court cases involving domestic abuse to be brought within the scope of legal aid for both parties, and for means testing to be scrapped for alleged victims and survivors of domestic abuse.

In a new policy paper, the body, which represents all 18,000 barristers in England and Wales, has set out a package of recommendations to improve the ability of the family justice system.