Something for the Weekend 

The end of another week; a cost appeal written, Counsel briefed on another, action taken on 2 CCA appeals, two training sessions delivered (one more to follow this p.m.), two mock Peer Review samples partly reviewed, a pyrrhic victory in an Internal Review and as ever countless miscellaneous phone enquires – including of the Carter […]

Advice for Motorists 

You work for the LSC, your partner has recently had a new car delivered and you wish to avoid the accusation of sabotaging the work of your nemesis, if so you might want to have a look here. Scroll down to number 7 and consider the third bullet point. Chivalry precludes me from telling what […]

Calculators at the Ready 

The return of Means Testing in the CDS is now within spitting distance and we can report a number of calls seeking advice in this regard. The current state of play regarding the eligibility calculator is as follows.

Armageddon Time 

The Times discusses Carter, following the publication of the LECG Report, and suggests a possible cataclysmic outcome. The advert alongside the article is purely coincidental one imagines. From our perspective, and confirming the central message of our recent Carter training session, the risks identified at paragraph 3.65 of the report chime in with our central […]

Bloggin on the Road 

Nice to find tinternet access at a training venue, that said it is significantly harder than working at home base – I have just lost 15 mins typing. This is the last of the Carter Comprehensive sessions, which is a relief given the amount of work stacking up in the office. Yesterday involved an emergency […]

Legal Services Commission Carter 

Anon in the comments below submits this view of this recent event. The show was conducted by Richard Collins and Crispin Passmore, various Legal Services Commission and DCA staff were also there to chat to attendees during coffee breaks. To quote the Legal Services Commission, the meeting was to,

Allsorts 

Busy day yesterday and another day of shouting planned for today. This has involves a variety of matters, cost assessment appeals, advice on two CCA results and some preparation for later on this morning. Perhaps most interestingly, well to us, are the two proposed off-site “file assessments” which have appeared in the last two days. […]

Peer Review Guidance Documents 

Whenever I shout (tutor a training session) nowadays I refer both to this place, with the resources available on the side bar, and to the Peer Review guidance available from the IALS. The latter has been pretty difficult to access here – by the way of finding an old archive story. This fact and phone […]

Book Early 

VERA BAIRD, DOMINIC GRIEVE TO SPEAK AT LAPG CONFERENCE The Legal Aid Practitioners Group is looking forward to welcoming Legal Aid Minister Vera Baird QC MP and Shadow Attorney-General Dominic Grieve MP to its Annual Conference, sponsored by Barclays Bank, in Cardiff on 6th October 2006. The Conference, entitled “Mapping the Post Carter World”, is […]

Tell It As It Is 

Whilst on the training trail practitioner discontent is something of an occupational hazard. Yesterday I spoke to a number of people both unhappy generally and also bemoaning the fact they are “trapped” in the publicly funded scheme rather than doing more lucrative private client work. As our friends at the LAPG point out we now […]