News just in from our man on the South Coast, Andy Bean, who has been told that a number of South West based firms have been invited to take part in a Pilot Scheme for the LSC
Andy Bean writes:
CIVIL/FAMILY
Please note that from 1st July any Legal Help matters started will be subject to the relevant rate/fee increases of 2%, as per the April 2008 Agreement with the Law Society and MoJ following the United Contract JR Ruling last year.
Hopefully you should have received the relevant updates from your software suppliers .
We are in the process of updating our laminated handouts and these will be available shortly.
CRIME
The new CDS6 Wizard is now finalised and will be released from 21st July 2008 (after June’s submission is sent) in order to avoid any confusion. Please email our office: jrs@we-are-jrs.co.uk stating if you require the ‘Carter’ version and please also specify if you do need it before 21st July.
As always, if you have any questions regarding this or any Legal Aid matters, please call our free JRS Advice Line mobile numbers (top left).
With depressing predictability the LSC follow up the Law Society’s recent adviceon CDS contract signature with a press release of their own. You will be reassured to know they seek “to reassure solicitors who are considering signing the contract”.
A more substantive response to the LS concerns is to follow however there is no talk of negotiation or consultation.
Two important items.
Firstly some CLSA meeting dates for your diaries.
Next a very interesting letter from friend of this site Andrew Keogh.
The Legal Services Commission has just issued the following information:
“We received a large volume of applications and supporting materials in response to the VHCC Panel tender. Due to this it will no longer be possible to finalise the assessments of the applications before the end of November 2007.
Nip off to do a bit of Peer Review training and look what happens!. Do read the entire Press release (and links) however the highlights are:
Moratorium on planned October changes to the CDS – PACE standard fees, VHCC panel, Litigators Fee, CDS direct etc.
New 6-month Criminal contracts from January 14th 2008 (yes you read that right) via an “open process”, followed by a “unified contract for criminal services from July 2008.
Best Value Tendering to follow.
This is all as a result of the the Law Society JR being “substantially rejected” earlier in the Summer. The LSC have also announced their intention to appeal that decision.
Their dog-in-the-manger response, via the 6-month contracts outlined above, is summed up by the Chief Executive as follows:
I imagine that like most firms you are dying to get your hands on an iSuppler Portal. For a full list of the benefits this brings have a read of this. Perhaps more importantly you now have only a month and a half to get set for electronic reporting. Yes that’s right all Civil controlled work (i.e. your CMRF and CMSF) must be electronically reported from October 1st this year.
A free and (relatively) easy solution can be found in the Resources section of this site to the sidebar on the left in the form of the CMRF Online Wizard.
The other joys of the Unified Civil Contract will be explained in glorious technicolour by yours truly at a series of shouting sessions in September.
I am significantly less confident about the implementation of ECMS than they are however.
You will know that as a Leeds fan my proclivity for football related blogging has taken something of a nosedive of late. Nothing over the weekend has changed this except to encourage similarly outraged fans of any allegiance to sign this petition.
We are however approaching a new football season and so are days away from those post match interviews where a defeated manager spins a 5-0 thrashing. This usually involves observations as to a bit of bad luck and a few bad refereeing decisions ruining a game in which his team was predominantly the
LAPG WELCOMES JUDICIAL REVIEW RESULT
