Government update outlines progress in restoring Legal Aid Agency services after cybercrime
The UK’s Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has successfully reinstated most of its core digital systems following a criminal cyber-attack that forced the agency to operate under emergency measures earlier in 2025, the Minister of State for Justice has reported to Parliament.
In a written statement to the House of Commons on 26 June 2025, Sarah Sackman, Minister of State for Justice, outlined progress made in restoring LAA systems since the attack first disrupted services earlier in the year. Sackman said the priority throughout the incident had been to maintain uninterrupted access to legal aid for those in need and to safeguard cashflow for legal aid providers.
LAA the executive agency responsible for administering civil and criminal legal aid on behalf of the Ministry of Justice came under sustained attack in April 2025, leading to the shutdown of its digital platforms. Those systems are used by providers to log work and receive payments. While the written statement did not disclose technical details of the breach itself, other government sources have indicated that the incident was criminal in nature and prompted extensive contingency planning.
Since the last parliamentary update in June, Sackman said significant progress has been made in restoring systems that support criminal legal aid applications and most crime billing. The main civil legal aid system has also been brought back online, and all legal aid providers have now been migrated onto the LAA’s new digital identity management system that underpins access to the restored portal.
These developments have enabled the agency to wind down most of the temporary operational changes that were introduced in response to the cyber-attack earlier in the year. Sackman said officials will continue to assess and adjust outstanding contingency arrangements as remaining internal processes are brought back to normal.
The minister also highlighted that the progress in restoring services has allowed the government to deliver significant fee increases to support the sustainability of the legal aid sector. Most of the fee uplifts for solicitors working in police stations, magistrates’ courts, prisons and certain appeals work announced as part of around £92 million per year in additional funding for solicitors are now in effect for new cases.
Additionally, she confirmed that fee uplifts in controlled immigration and housing legal aid covering early advice and some representation work were implemented in December. These uplifts represent the first increases to civil legal aid fees since 1996, she said.
Sackman thanked legal aid providers for their support and patience during a period she acknowledged had placed stress on the system. She said there remained much work to do to fully recover from the attack and to address the challenges it had created.
In parallel with recovery efforts, the minister said she had asked officials to explore options to accelerate the LAA’s technology transformation programme. This longer-term project is intended to replace restored systems with more modern, resilient and flexible technology, strengthening defenses against future cyber threats and improving reliability for providers and clients alike.
While Sackman’s statement focused on operational restoration and sector support measures, other government sources relating to the cyber-attack have highlighted the severity of the breach. According to public updates, the Legal Aid Agency first became aware of the attack on 23 April 2025, and subsequent investigations indicated the attack was more extensive than initially understood. This resulted in the exposure of a significant quantity of personal data and prompted the shutdown of online services on the advice of cyber security agencies.
The incident underscored long-standing concerns about the security of older digital infrastructure within parts of the justice system and has prompted renewed calls for investment and modernisation in public sector technology