For a number of reasons we only have 2 available Fridays for webinars in May – her is how we propose to use them.

4th May Surviving an SC Audit

Simon spoke at the recent Law Society Legal Aid Conference on this topic. This session is an expanded version of his contribution explaining all possible reasons why the LSC might wish to visit you and what you can expect. It also outlines the main ares of potential risk and provides guidance on how to achieve a successful outcome. Essential for all contracted firms civil or criminal.

25th May Civil Procurement

The LSC have indicated that post LASPO Civil contracts will start in April 2013. They have further indicated that the procurement round will begin in May this year. We have therefore scheduled this session in anticipation of a further bid round being imminent or even underway at this date. Either way we intend to provide a comprehensive guide to making sure you secure one on the new contracts.

Further to earlier.

Just had lovely conversation with a very understanding and helpful man at the LSC.

I do, occasionally, get criticised for this being something of a “protest” site. By way of a defence I do, always, comment on positive experiences in the day-to-day interaction with the powers that be. The problem is twofold however; I cannot help myself and the volume of negative experience is too significant. We could ignore all of this, and have a static site which just displays our wares, but choose not to. We do keep this under review.

Then we get the situation where something even we find pretty unbelievable is going on and we can say nothing for confidentiality reasons. I have a couple of these at the moment which are the type of thing you really do want to broadcast, if for no other reason than to confirm that you are not interpreting things unreasonably. With both of these I am on the cusp of suggesting that a bit of wider publicity, MP, LS Gazette, might even help achieve a solution. (Both involve pro bono cases too).

On balance I think we will continue to write on things as we find them not least because that is what people seem to like us to do.

As you know I really do not like putting up these static videos buy this is just so good and I cannot wait for the album release on 7th May. What does the bass playing remind me of?

This is neither a new nor different direction for Richard Hawley more a return, as I’ve heard him put it, to “playing guitar”.

Rather that write a comment a client has responded directly to our “Yes we do Lexcel” post last week. we don’t normally put client testimonials on things but well this was just so nice not least give the actual age of the “lads”;

“Just  to  re iterate  your   statement  on  JRS do  Lexcel  advice, we  had  the  pleasure  of  two of  your  “lads” company  on  5th  April  to  advise  us  on  how  we  were  getting  on.  It  was  a  most  fruitful  and  constructive  meeting   and  we  wish  we  had  contacted  JRS  earlier  in  our  attempts   to  transfer  from  SQM  to  Lexcel”.

(I have left the authors name out as I have not had time to seek permission to publish)

There are 2 items of CDS news.

Firstly you will have to destroy all V.8 CDS 14 & 15s on May 6th – new V.9s become mandatory the following day.

Oh – no there are not 2 items. In the time spent composing this post the other item, a promise of early payment in June, has been removed from the LSC Website.

I have just got round to the job I was hoping to start yesterday lunchtime. It is a mammoth of an audit “appeal”, the inverted commas are used as the procedure for this seems hopelessly confused to me. It is consequently one of those “where do I start” type of jobs, however 2 questions come straight to mind.

Do the auditors not know their own written guidance or do they wilfully ignore it when a nil assessment looks possible?

Is it really the place on a non-legally trained, lay auditor to contradict the consideration of the SBT undertaken by a category supervisor?

You can probably guess my view on the latter however I am genuinely not sure on the former, and am and am not sure which option is the worst.

Friday 27th April Spring Clean Session

It is a while since we did one of our “magazine” style round-ups of all the recent issues and changes of which you should be aware. These, unashamedly, eclectic mixes of LSC announcements, news and JRS day-to-day experience have become a popular method of keeping up to date with those little bits of information which can pass a busy practitioner by. If you are nervous that you have missed something this is one way to enable you to relax.

The next round are to be published in June to commence in July. That means you have to make any arrivals or departures by 14th May. More info here

After a lovely break, covering a very large amount of Andalucia, I am back at my desk with the usual post-holiday stuff to do. I also have to speedily get back up to speed with the various deadlines and ongoing cases we are juggling. Plus we have all of the fieldwork team in doing monthly handout and making a lot of noise in the process (we are used to a quiet, serious office atmosphere her at HQ). They have also just suggested that I cover and “audit sitting” appointment – madness.

I am not helped by the car still being in motor-hospital and having to fight to get a courtesy alternative. Well back into the e-mails with 4 very large boxes of files in the corner calling out for some attention.