Taxpayers ‘may have to foot bill for legal aid’

Sir Philip Bailhache said that a greater number of cases as well as the demands of new human rights and employment legislation were putting an enormous burden on the system.And he complained that the courts and lawyers had allowed lawsuits to become ‘too cumbersome, too long and too expensive’.The Bailiff acknowledged that reform was needed, but he urged lawyers not to abandon a system which worked.Sir Philip was speaking at the annual Assise d’Heritage, a centuries-old ceremony in the Royal Court during which the Island’s Seigneurs swear their allegiance to the Crown and advocates renew their oaths.