I have just looked at a “Provider Dashboard” “drill down” into a firm’s statistical performance. This has been sent prior to a visit. Even I am amazed at how far the LSC are prepared to go to micro-manage the scheme. My initial response -”Why is an expensive resource such as Contract Manager being sent to waste the Commission and the firms time over such trivial nonsense?”.

The issues under discussion are not eve KPIs and even if they were….

I would say this, and more, you see rather than feign interest – which is why they sit me in an office and don’t send me out to see clients anymore.

This is an interesting report for those with, er, an interest in costs and that sort of thing.

HAT TIP

Rachel Rothwell at the Gazette via Twitter

We are about to pilot a fixed fee service for the drafting of fixed fee Care bills. If you are interested give us a ring.

I have said pilot twice to make it sound more professional than “suck it and see” or something similar. Probably should have said “Roll out, on a limited, trial basis with a small number of early adopters”.

Another case in favour of the LSC with regard to recovery of payments on account – UPOA in the vernacular. I have not read the case in detail but following on from Henthorn this pretty much gives the LSC the green light to chase costs back to the dawn of time. It is sobering, in many ways, when you think that 1992 was 20 years ago but cases of this age were the subject of the latter case. In today’s case some of the files were even older.

The practical impact of this on current UPOA activity remains to be seen however we will have little to shield us from recovery except a few tattered ledgers and mouldy fee notes.

I have had a morning of trying to tie up loose ends on a number of matters. This has been interspersed with the usual mix of questions which routinely fill up our days at the Middlesbrough office.

The bulk of the latter are phone calls many under the “JRS Free Phone Advice” service. We are seeing much more traffic in this department as the opportunity to call the LSC direct, reduces bit by bit. This means that we are being dragged into the arcane recesses of Contract and Guidance more and more, lacerating a bit of a disconnect from general Legal Aid reality. It also means that I am finding myself relearning long lost nuggets of knowledge. For instance I found that I had correctly remembered cost protection rules, on Devolved Powers grants, from years ago.

Once the LSC website “migrates” I anticipate that this will only get worse.

This statement will obviously be of greatest importance to those firms refused a contract in the recent bid round. There are some other issues of more general importance in there, we think, which we will have a ponder about over the next couple of days.

Definitely worth wider publicity however is this;

“tenders for the reduced scope of legal aid open in the summer for commencement in April 2013″.

At first glance this looks like a reasonable resolution (no pun intended) to the failed family bid situation.

Will provide greater detail as it becomes available.

3rd February SQM 6: Appraisals and Managing People

Appraisals are one of the toughest SQM mandatory requirements and one which can lead to real damage if not performed effectively. This is why we dedicate the lions share of this session to getting them right, using the JRS model Appraisals policy and procedure. We will also cover, briefly the other Managing People requirements.

10th February CSD Costs update Session

By request we are going to run 2 costs update sessions dealing with the current live issues in the world of Civil and Criminal billing. We will do some brief revision of basic rules and then move onto the thorny issues which are plaguing you and us, both on assessment and appeal. Essential for those involved in billing and reporting your Legal Aid Work

17th February CLS Costs update Session

The Civil version of the above

24 February SQM 7: Preparing for the Audit

The final session of the SQM series covering all the practicalities of getting ready for the real event. We will offer a summary of the earlier session and provide a risk based guide to final preparations. We will also bring you our experience from the audits we have been “sitting” over the preceding weeks. This session should provide the final push in the direction of audit success.

I have used all my powers of persuasion to dissuade a friends son from a career in Legal Aid. He is however very committed to this and is not to be swayed. In a further act of foolishness has asked me to be a referee on his application for a Training Contract.

Given all of this I thought the least I could do was mention this here in case anybody has a vacancy and feels like asking him for an interview. As you will guess my reference would be very positive.