Counsel Magazine

ON 2 February 2010, the influential House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) published a damning report on the Legal Services Commission’s handling of legal aid reform. The report on criminal legal aid procurement also warns that the increased use of solicitors to conduct work in the Crown Court is threatening the long-term future of the junior criminal Bar and may be affecting the quality of advocacy provided in those courts. The procurement of legal aid in England and Wales by the Legal Services Commission (HC 322) echoes many of the deeply held concerns of the Bar Council.

It criticises the LSC for ‘poor financial management and internal controls and deficient management information’. It says the Commission does not know whether its reforms are working or what they are doing to the sustainability of providers.