In brief: Hitch in legal aid plans, claims Law Soc

The Law Society claims the government's legal aid reforms could be delayed by up to a year after it commissioned a counsel's opinion which argued that the changes will need primary legislation. But a spokesman from the Lord Chancellor's Department said the Lord Chancellor had himself sought counsel's opinion on the matter, adding: "He would not have proceeded in the way he did unless he was sure he had the power to do so."