Comments on: Open letter to Jack Straw http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/open-letter-to-jack-straw/ The Joy of Housing Law Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:03:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Tessa Shepperson http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/open-letter-to-jack-straw/#comment-3704 Tessa Shepperson Sun, 30 Sep 2007 19:12:08 +0000 http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/open-letter-to-jack-straw/#comment-3704 Of course another factor in the high expenditure might be poor administration on the part of the LSC and its predecessors. When I did legal aid work there were several occasions when I was paid more than I was entitled to, and despite informing the Legal Aid Board (as it was called at that time) about this, it took them a very long time to take it back. Virtually every legal aid practitioner I have spoken to has some tale to tell of similar incompetence. Multiplied many times, this must amount to huge sums of money. Not to mention the vast amounts of time wasted by all involved in trying to sort these problems out. Yet although they fail to recover money promptly when we tell them about it, the LSC have een fit (as I understand it) to make deductions for alleged overpayments from firms more than six years after the case has closed, i.e. after their files have been destroyed and they are no longer able to challenge it. It is not surprising that so many firms (mine included) have decided to pull back from Legal Aid work. I am amazed quite frankly that NL is considering a career in the Legal Aid sector and, Mr Straw, you should be very grateful that there are still a few committed lawyers willing to do this. Of course another factor in the high expenditure might be poor administration on the part of the LSC and its predecessors. When I did legal aid work there were several occasions when I was paid more than I was entitled to, and despite informing the Legal Aid Board (as it was called at that time) about this, it took them a very long time to take it back. Virtually every legal aid practitioner I have spoken to has some tale to tell of similar incompetence. Multiplied many times, this must amount to huge sums of money. Not to mention the vast amounts of time wasted by all involved in trying to sort these problems out.

Yet although they fail to recover money promptly when we tell them about it, the LSC have een fit (as I understand it) to make deductions for alleged overpayments from firms more than six years after the case has closed, i.e. after their files have been destroyed and they are no longer able to challenge it. It is not surprising that so many firms (mine included) have decided to pull back from Legal Aid work.

I am amazed quite frankly that NL is considering a career in the Legal Aid sector and, Mr Straw, you should be very grateful that there are still a few committed lawyers willing to do this.

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