Counsel Magazine

THE Bar Council and the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) have today welcomed the publication of a consultation paper on a proposed payment scheme for Very High Cost Cases (VHCCs).

The proposals have been drafted by a steering group comprising representatives from the legal profession, including the Bar Council, the Ministry of Justice, the CBA, the Law Society, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Legal Services Commission (LSC). The steering group was tasked with the production of a viable scheme which would ensure appropriate fees for advocates conducting VHCCs, to replace the contract system previously announced by the LSC.

With a new scheme due to come into effect by July 2009, the consultation period for these proposals will run from the 19th December 2008 until the 30th January 2009. The proposals include: