A devastating cyberattack on the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has left barristers across England and Wales unable to invoice for work—cutting off critical income and intensifying fears over the future of public legal representation.
Barristers, particularly those practicing in family, housing, and immigration law, say they’ve been left without pay for weeks, with some unable to make rent or cover essential bills.
“Halfway through this month I couldn’t make the rent—I had to ask my partner to cover my part,” one immigration barrister told the Financial Times. “It’s going to ultimately affect vulnerable people… if people doing this job have to leave because of this pressure, it’s going to compound the issues with legal aid that already exist.”
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) confirmed in May that the LAA, which funds civil and criminal representation for those unable to afford it, was the target of a cyberattack by a “known hacking group.” The hackers accessed sensitive personal and financial information of legal aid applicants, including data going back to 2010.
A court has issued an injunction preventing the publication of the stolen data to limit further harm.
Although the LAA has implemented a temporary payment scheme based on barristers’ average income over the past three months, many have declined to opt in—fearing future tax complications or clawbacks. Self-employed barristers are particularly vulnerable, with VAT and tax payments due this month.
Barbara Mills KC, Chair of the Bar Council, described the situation as “absolutely incredible” in terms of stress and disruption.
“I can’t even find the words to describe the level of crisis going on… it’s falling on to a workforce already bowed by the workload,” Mills said.
The MoJ has not confirmed when the LAA system will be fully restored. Some legal professionals report being told the disruption could last until the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the government has announced the first major increase in legal aid rates for housing and immigration in nearly 30 years, with some fees rising by as much as 42%. The funding hike is part of broader efforts to address a justice backlog that includes nearly 77,000 cases in Crown Courts.
“We have introduced enhanced contingency measures to streamline legal aid applications, ensure people are represented and to keep the system running,” a spokesperson for the MoJ said. “We continue to work as quickly as possible to restore our online system.”
For now, barristers and their clients remain in limbo—underscoring the fragility of a justice system increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure and underfunded legal aid.
