Centre Fellow Natalie Byrom, has recently written an article in the New Statesman entitled "The Archers' domestic violence storyline has sacrificed realism for ratings".

The article explores how the Archers plotline involving Helen and Rob Titchener missed an important opportunity to highlight the difficulties facing victims of domestic violence in accessing support when attempting to extricate themselves from violent relationships.

Natalie also highlights in the article how these difficulties are exacerbated by changes to legal aid, which impact disproportionately on those living in rural areas. This is based on research Natalie did for the Centre in her report entitled "The State of the Sector: The impact of cuts to civil legal aid on practitioners and their clients"

The Centre for Human Rights in Practice has launched the second edition of it's flagship project: LACUNA Magazine: A Writing Wrongs Project. This edition showcases original expert commentary and investigative journalism on the theme of "Austerity and Prosperity", an issue in which the Centre has developed particular expertise. The lead feature: "Down the rabbit hole: Single parenthood in austerity Britain" has been picked up and re-published by the New Statesman. To read the exciting and challenging content featured in this edition please visit www.lacuna.org.uk

The Centre for Human Rights in Practice hosted a workshop on 19th March 2014 in conjunction with Monash University the Criminal Justice Centre at Warwick exploring the impact of cuts to civil and criminal legal aid. The workshop was attended by academics, legal practitioners, funders and civil society actors, all of whom had extensive knowledge of the legal aid changes and their impact in practice.

The workshop comprised three main sessions:

• Legal aid cuts and the changing face of the legal profession;
• Legal aid cuts and the lawyer client relationship; and
• The broader social consequences of legal aid cuts.