*/
The Ministry of Justice’s decision to push ahead with its two-tier contract model for criminal legal aid is of concern to all lawyers engaged in criminal defence work, Bar leaders have said.
The MoJ’s response to the consultation Transforming Legal Aid: Crime Duty Contracts was published on 27 November.
There were 3,942 responses to the whirlwind three-week survey, which was issued after the High Court found an earlier consultation “so unfair as to be unlawful”, because the Government did not disclose the reports from Otterburn Legal Consulting and KPMG on which it had relied in formulating its proposals.
Tenders for 527 duty provider contracts, two more than originally proposed, will be open until 29 January 2015. The MoJ has also confirmed its intention to implement a second fee cut of up to 8.75% in July 2015 for solicitors.
The Bar Council said the proposed changes would result in a “massive and irreversible dislocation in the market for criminal litigators, for no obvious benefit”.
The Criminal Bar Association said: “The changes made pursuant to the consultation are trivial and do not address the problems inherent in the proposals. The Government continues to rely on unreliable assumptions and has ignored the evidence and informed expert opinion.
“We remind the Government of the words of... Lord Faulks QC that, ‘the fat has been so far removed from the carcass of criminal legal aid that these further cuts really threaten our justice system’.”
There were 3,942 responses to the whirlwind three-week survey, which was issued after the High Court found an earlier consultation “so unfair as to be unlawful”, because the Government did not disclose the reports from Otterburn Legal Consulting and KPMG on which it had relied in formulating its proposals.
Tenders for 527 duty provider contracts, two more than originally proposed, will be open until 29 January 2015. The MoJ has also confirmed its intention to implement a second fee cut of up to 8.75% in July 2015 for solicitors.
The Bar Council said the proposed changes would result in a “massive and irreversible dislocation in the market for criminal litigators, for no obvious benefit”.
The Criminal Bar Association said: “The changes made pursuant to the consultation are trivial and do not address the problems inherent in the proposals. The Government continues to rely on unreliable assumptions and has ignored the evidence and informed expert opinion.
“We remind the Government of the words of... Lord Faulks QC that, ‘the fat has been so far removed from the carcass of criminal legal aid that these further cuts really threaten our justice system’.”
The Ministry of Justice’s decision to push ahead with its two-tier contract model for criminal legal aid is of concern to all lawyers engaged in criminal defence work, Bar leaders have said.
The MoJ’s response to the consultation Transforming Legal Aid: Crime Duty Contracts was published on 27 November.
Chair of the Bar reflects on 2025
Q&A with criminal barrister Nick Murphy, who moved to New Park Court Chambers on the North Eastern Circuit in search of a better work-life balance
Revolt Cycling in Holborn, London’s first sustainable fitness studio, invites barristers to join the revolution – turning pedal power into clean energy
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, reflects on how the company’s Giving Back ethos continues to make a difference to communities across the UK
By Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
AlphaBiolabs has made a £500 donation to Sean’s Place, a men’s mental health charity based in Sefton, as part of its ongoing Giving Back initiative
Professor Dominic Regan and Seán Jones KC present their best buys for this holiday season
Little has changed since Burns v Burns . Cohabiting couples deserve better than to be left on the blasted heath with the existing witch’s brew for another four decades, argues Christopher Stirling
Six months of court observation at the Old Bailey: APPEAL’s Dr Nisha Waller and Tehreem Sultan report their findings on prosecution practices under joint enterprise
Despite its prevalence, autism spectrum disorder remains poorly understood in the criminal justice system. Does Alex Henry’s joint enterprise conviction expose the need to audit prisons? asks Dr Felicity Gerry KC
With automation now deeply embedded in the Department for Work Pensions, Alexander McColl and Alexa Thompson review what we know, what we don’t and avenues for legal challenge
