*/
IN accordance with the Pre-Action Protocol for Judicial Review Claims, solicitors acting for the Bar Council have written to the Legal Aid Minister, Lord Bach and to the Chairman of the Legal Services Commission, Sir Bill Callaghan in order to advance proceedings for judicial review of the Government’s consultations on criminal legal aid.
The consultations concern the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme and Very High Cost Cases (VHCCs) scheme which have been initiated by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Legal Services Commission (LSC) respectively. The Bar Council’s action follows the rejection by the MoJ and the LSC of the Bar’s request that the Government should combine the deadlines for responses to these consultations and to join them to the timetable for the response to the proposed consultation on a single graduated fee for Crown Court cases. A full pre-action letter will be sent shortly.
Bar Chairman Nicholas Green QC said:
‘The Bar Council asked the MoJ and the LSC to adopt a coordinated and fair approach to their decision-making on the very important matters which are the subject of these consultations. The Government has rejected our request to co-ordinate the consultation timetabes and refused to supply us with the information for which we asked to enable the Bar to respond to the two current consultations. These are inextricably linked to an, as yet, unpublished third consultation. The principal basis of our claim will be that the consultation exercise is unfair and, in our view, unlawful.’
Bar Chairman Nicholas Green QC said:
‘The Bar Council asked the MoJ and the LSC to adopt a coordinated and fair approach to their decision-making on the very important matters which are the subject of these consultations. The Government has rejected our request to co-ordinate the consultation timetabes and refused to supply us with the information for which we asked to enable the Bar to respond to the two current consultations. These are inextricably linked to an, as yet, unpublished third consultation. The principal basis of our claim will be that the consultation exercise is unfair and, in our view, unlawful.’
IN accordance with the Pre-Action Protocol for Judicial Review Claims, solicitors acting for the Bar Council have written to the Legal Aid Minister, Lord Bach and to the Chairman of the Legal Services Commission, Sir Bill Callaghan in order to advance proceedings for judicial review of the Government’s consultations on criminal legal aid.
The consultations concern the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme and Very High Cost Cases (VHCCs) scheme which have been initiated by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Legal Services Commission (LSC) respectively. The Bar Council’s action follows the rejection by the MoJ and the LSC of the Bar’s request that the Government should combine the deadlines for responses to these consultations and to join them to the timetable for the response to the proposed consultation on a single graduated fee for Crown Court cases. A full pre-action letter will be sent shortly.
A decade of cuts and the brutal pandemic have left courts and barristers struggling to cope – a bid for justice spending
Philip N Bristow explains how to unlock your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step
With the property market witnessing significant changes since the beginning of the pandemic, Fleet Street Wealth’s Managing Director Julian Morgan considers the future of the home, the second home and the office
In partnership with the Bar Council, LexisNexis is offering up to 60% off its extensive webinar offering.
Chambers is expanding its team.
Making a move from the Bar to a career in governance: Maria Brookes outlines three good reasons to switch and how to do it
The family law system is in crisis and a failure to recognise it as such demeans the Herculean efforts of all involved, writes Celestine Greenwood, an exhausted family practitioner
Should we cap numbers coming to the Bar? Or help them make data driven decisions? asks IshanKolhatkar
Time to look afresh at the imposter syndrome narrative? Why pathologizing normal anxieties can be unhelpful to barristers and future generations. By Kate Brunner QC and Sarah Regan
Shifting the taboo, two silks talk about the menopause, its impact on women at the Bar and the need for a profession-wide rethink. By Lyndsey de Mestre QC and Brie Stevens-Hoare QC
Lack of networking and advocacy opportunities have been pupils biggest challenges during COVID.Melissa Elsworth,Thomas Harvey andMani Basi explain how theFamily Law Bar Associations expanding Pupillage Project is helping to fill the gap
