MPs Urged To Help Lawyers Who Slipped Through Covid-19 Support Gap

The UK Government has seemingly done its utmost to ensure people’s livelihoods hadn’t been completely destroyed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The furlough scheme and coronavirus loans have been one way people have attempted to prevent their businesses from going under.

However, in some aspects of the economy, certain sectors feels they have slipped through the support gap, and have been left in an extremely vulnerable state.

The Law Society and Bar Council have urged the Government to act on a report from MPs which would help to provide support for lawyers who have inevitably fallen through the cracks.

It appears that the words of Chancellor Rishi Sunak of doing “whatever it takes”, have failed to protect people and businesses from the impact the lockdown. The Treasury Select Committee discovered that over a million people had been locked out of the help offered by the Chancellor.

Mel Stride, MP who chairs the Select Committee, said:

“Overall, the Chancellor has acted at impressive scale and pace. However, the committee has identified well over a million people who – through no fault of their own – have lost livelihoods while being locked down and locked out of the main support programmes.

“If it is to be fair and completely fulfil its promise of doing whatever it takes, the Government should urgently enact our recommendations.”

Simon Davis, President of the Law Society said:

“Many sole practitioners have been limited in their ability to secure government support due to the eligibility requirements of some schemes.

“The committee’s proposed adjustments to the SEISS and further support for those who operate as directors of limited companies would be of significant help to the legal sector and to those practitioners struggling through the economic crisis caused by coronavirus.”

The Committee has outlined a number of recommendations in a bid to provide hope to the legal sector.