Pub bands aside, last night was our first live music of the year. The headline act was the completely engaging Samantha Crain – without the 2 guys in the video but with a couple of glasses of whiskey instead. She played without a set list, did requests, went over curfew, said “y’all” and charmed everyone […]
This LAA news story really is one of those “just where do you start” moments. Perhaps the first is to ask why, and why now, has the LAA decided to proffer advice on how you record your files. It wasn’t even keen on doing this at the height of voluntary franchising, when most anxious to […]
A slack handful of news items turned up at the LAA website yesterday afternoon they include: Getting your High Cost Case Plans in within 4-weeks If only they would deal with them in 4-weeks. How to do their job for them on aforementioned HCCPs Another batch of extra contractual “requirements” which only cause delay. “Helpful” […]
So far, I have dealt with: 2 statutory charge issues A potential Point of Principle A set of reps on a Criminal costs appeal And a bunch of self verification files regarding Family Help lower claims Does life get much better than this?
We were quoted as a recognised authority on Criminal Costs in a clients recent, self-penned, appeal. (We were named alongside more appropriate experts in the form of Crimeline and Tony Edwards). They were successful. The LAA do not, however, seem motivated enough to pursue the matter to its logical end by way of application to […]
Do you know what IDP stands for? No me neither. How about “Integrated Delivery Programme”? Again I was none the wiser. That was until a letter appeared in this weeks Times. It was from Russell Gibbins (of Costs Drafting firm PA Gibbins) who asked the LAA about the costs of the currently “deferred” on-line civil […]
The Public Defenders Service (PDS) is back in the news This expensive experiment failed in all but one significant way; demonstrating, beyond all doubt, that a publicly funded criminal defence service is prohibitively expensive. In all its main pilot areas, notably Birmingham, Liverpool and Middlesbrough it shut up shop. We have some knowledge of the […]
Welcome, come on in, browse around and have a look at our redesigned website. There is a bit more about us but primarily we hope it is easier to use and we love the new up-to-the-minute design. Do tell us what you think. The main element of the old site remains – and we will […]
With no new releases I’m interested in so far this year I’ve opted for something from the past (though I though about this excellent collaboration between Daft Punk and Julian Casablancas) Beth Orton was clearly something of a pioneer and now the world now littered with not so good folk/pop tribute acts. For some reason […]
I had a series of lengthy phone calls yesterday to do with the closure of legal aid law firms. You do not have to have my psychic powers to foresee that this is only likely to increase. I also predict the following: It will be a happy and profitable year for the administrators of closing […]