LAG, along with over 100 other charities including the Public Law Project, Amnesty International UK and the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, was a signatory to an open letter from members of the Justice Alliance to the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, calling on the government to halt its proposals on legal aid. The letter and accompanying statements were delivered in November to Simon Hughes MP in advance of a meeting of senior figures in the Liberal Democrat party to discuss legal aid.

Ian Macdonald QC announced his retirement as president of the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA) in November. He had been ILPA’s president for 29 years. Ian Macdonald, who has appeared in many leading immigration cases, is author of Macdonald’s Immigration Law & Practice. His book, which first appeared in 1983 and is now in its eighth edition, is regarded by many practitioners as the definitive text on immigration law.

Harehills and Chapeltown Law Centre® in Leeds closed in November after over 30 years providing specialist advice and representation in debt, employment, family, housing, immigration, mental health and welfare benefits. The Law Centre is operating a managed closure programme and is writing to existing clients to offer to refer on their cases. A spokesperson for the Law Centre said that cuts had made it difficult for the service to continue and that the staff were ‘sad and disappointed that the closure leaves people on low or no income in Leeds without an important specialist and local support service’.

In Judicial review and the rule of law – who is in control?, barrister Amy Street warns of the potential conflict between the judiciary and parliament if the government goes ahead with proposals to limit the right of citizens to bring judicial review cases.

■ Available at: www.consoc.org.uk.