As I have said before it is Middlesbrough Music Live on Sunday. It is an entirely free event and probably my favourite live act of all time are headlining. Come and see Ash in Centre Square and here is one of their lesser known hits:
I have been dealing with two absolute refusals of Unified Criminal Contracts - form submission issues. The fixed deadline for these is tea time Monday.
I must spare you the details for now but one of these involves a dispute about the receipt by the LSC of one of the (I would say non-essential) subsidiary forms. Leave aside how this can be fairly resolved, we say we sent it they say not, or the general unfairness and disproportionate nature of the decision, have we really come to a pass where minor form filling mistakes carry such major consequences?
On the LSC and paperwork I remember a time where there were regular "stop and search" sessions in an attempt to find lost files. I wonder if that still takes place.
Here is someone else not happy with things, in this case the Litigators Graduated Fee Scheme.
I have to say we are receiving a mixed post bag on this with a significant proportion of corespondents reporting improved billing. Opinions on the subject are however pretty polarised.
The tradition of taking the Tuesday off after a bank holiday is subject to significant regional variation. Yesterdays clients gave it up to hear me speak for most of it, and cop some vital CPD points into the bargain. It also kept me busy. I did the skeleton of a course we will be touring with TMT later in the year.
That said had I been in Middlesbrough I would have had a little batch of Unified Criminal Contract application problems to deal with. I am now about to start work upon these today. Each contains a completely different set of issues however I start the task with a heavy heart. I am perhaps still a little low after Sundays footie outcome too.
Came across this guy via the monthly sampler CD you get with Word magazine. He is pretty good in a David Gray kind of way:
Just had sight of a refused Point of Principle application to the Cost Appeal Committee in London. Frankly I'm a bit surprised it even got that far but nonetheless a rejection is still a rejection. It was an attempt to more tightly define the "exceptional circumstances" which could allow the enhancement of a CDS 7 claim.
The last sentence runs:
"the skill needed...,mainly, patience... has to be part of the stock in trade of every legal aid lawyer"
So true, so true.
In house training is taking over my life. With more to do tomorrow and on Tuesday today I am completely immersed in the preparation of course materials (oh for the pre CPD accreditation days when you could just turn up and shout). Today involves finishing touches to a course we will be touring later in the year so watch this space.
On a positive note the last two days have involved training audiences in which I am at the top of the age range. Now whilst I am clearly getting older this a least a hopeful sign that some young people are still doing Legal Aid work.
Head down - do Powerpoint - ignore phone - stop blogging.
Evening post from my hotel room following a long day of travel and training with more to follow tomorrow. Today was CDS topics, Police Station standard and the Litigators fees, tomorrow Civl Peer Review. Trouble is todays activities have aggravated the shoulder I pulled at the weekend damn and Sandra has booked me out on Friday afternoon too (more PR). Cost of the bloody hotel has rocketed since I was last here and I can't get a table at Moro .
I hope to feel better after a couple of nurofen washed down with a mouthful of Stella.
Whilst I was updating Peer Review course notes for Wednesday time has slipped by and I have gone without lunch. I will therefore have an A5, C5 and H5 lunch out of our antique vending machine.
Not the healthy option.
Ice cream van has just turned up too.
News of CDS contract awards are filtering thorough with the anticipated application of the new allocation rules. This includes refusing "expansion" into second schemes but also the removal of some firms from panels on which they have traditionally operated - the example in front of me on the basis of a rigid application of the travel time exclusion factor. Fortunately we have only heard of one complete failure, outside time limit to date.
In related news i am also informed that there will be further changes to the CDS 6 in August so watch this space.
Steve Barnes (Guest DJ) writes:
Congratulations to the two "Yorkshire" clubs succeeding in the play-offs, and, because I feel I should leave the Leeds choice up to Simon upon his return, here is a song from London 0 Hull 4:
The LSC's North East RO is moving to Jarrow. This will probably make you think of either the Jarrow March or perhaps the "Jarrow Arrow".
You may not know that it is a candidate for World Heritage Status and is the home of Bede's World (Whether this move will enhance the candidature is as yet unclear). Due to my sometimes juvenile sense of humour I often end up singing the museums name to the theme of Wayne's World when I drive past, as I will tomorrow.
This will be a thin week at this place.
Today I am on an early journey to Liverpool to deliver some in-house training. (By the way talk to Sandra about how this can be a cost effective way of gaining CPD points).
I then have to leave as fast as I can, survive the usual lottery that the M62 represents to be home, beer in hand for kick off in the most important game of football this year, so far. What does this remind you of though?
I then have tomorrow in the office to tidy up a couple of jobs before Andy and I go on our annual strategy meeting - until the weekend - so Mr Barnes will be answering your questions for the remainder of the week.
I hope we get this tonight.
I missed this whilst away on my birthday trip (Krauss & Plant were excellent). I suppose that it is too late for you to bill any remaining TFF Exceptional Cases but on the other hand 2 days notice from the LSC is not much better.
Get busy.
Whilst my birthday is in January I am having my present today in the form of a trip to Manchester to see Alison Krauss and Robert Plant at the Apollo. Consequently I am nicking off at lunch time and coming home at a gentle pace tomorrow and will probably not be blogging.
It is then Mr Weller at Boro Town Hall on Friday night. Just like London busses.
God knows what the Friday song will be.
More news on the VHCC advocates "stand off".
Why was this not done before the launch of the scheme though?
... and whole album is great.
I will be happy, for so many reasons, when this week is done. Not least because the steady flow of faxed UCC applications will be over.
We have been working on a couple of new applications and also spoke to a third this morning. He came back a couple of moments later to confirm that the phrase, which had eluded him in the earlier conversation, which best described the UCC.
That phrase was "Poisoned Chalice"
PS apologies to those Leeds firms we gave a bum steer about where to send their applications. However at section 3.7 of the IFA and at Q 23 of the Q & A it says in BOLD (and in capitals at the latter) that these should be sent to the Newcastle Office. An update yesterday to the web-site saying "any Regional Office" whilst sensible, is really no way to manage processes of this sort.
"There's been a change they broke the Chalice from the Palace".
Apologies for thin blogging here this week, training courses, poorly children (not dogs for a change) and hassle over UCC applications have all conspired against me. I had originally intended to post this on Monday but now here is how No. 6 Park Square are advising on the interaction between solicitor advocates and chambers. It was certainly a live issue amongst delegates on Tuesday afternoon.
In addition your attention is drawn to the downloadable advice available here. It covers three issues ;
Payment of Mags Court S.51 send hearingsCrown Court S.51 hearings and
Breach of CC bail hearings in the Mags
A brief summary of the advice;
The first is covered by the litigators fee the latter two are standard appearances under the advocates fee scheme and therefore the approach suggested by No. 6 applies
