Civil Bid Rounds 2010 consultation response is now out.

Off to read it now.

More later/tomorrow.

The LALY awards took place whilst I was away. Nice to see a North East firm, David Gray, get something.

Back from hols and in the office once again. Thanks to Andy for holding the fort last week.

Nothing much to report on so far so back to the built up admin for me. More later in the week.

Can't believe what I have just read on the LSC Web site headed "A new approach to quality assurance"

This seems to be a major shift in auditing by the LSC but I agree that there is no point in running two very similar Quality assurance standards along side each other (Lexcel and SQM).

However the indication that you will have to pay for the privilege seems a bitter pill to swallow. As reported on this very blog site I have recently passed my Lexcel Consultancy Accreditation. If any one wishes to discuss how the Lexcel process works especially the paying bit please give me a call. Also call me if you are interested in applying for the lexcel standard.

I will leave this one for Simon to get his teeth into when he returns, no doubt he will have a few words of wisdom on the subject.

Andy Bean

As per my entry on Wednesday you will now see on the LSC web site under "What's New" that the response to the Civil Bid Round 2010 consultation documentation is to be published "shortly".

Talk about non committal, If anyone knows what " shortly" means, one day? one week? then please let me know. Perhaps we should run a book on it and see who is the closest. 1st Prize - JRS Mouse Mat!

Andy Bean

Both myself and Steve are audit sitting today, something which we haven't done for some time, although in the last two days I have received two phone calls from different areas of the country stating that the firm has been notified of an audit date. The panic was evident as SQM requirements are tried to be recalled from the dark recesses of the suppliers mind.

The account manager at this audit indicates that the final paper for the Civil Bid round is presently been signed off and will be issued at the end of this month but might slip into early July. The feel seems to be that the commission will try their very best to keep to the set timescales.

Andy Bean

All quiet in the world of JRS although a number of queries with regard to the completion of Supervisor Declaration forms for both Family and Crime. If you have any problems completing these then don't hesitate to contact either myself or Steve.
 
Can I thank all those who have contacted our Middlesbrough office in order to pass on their best wishes on to Steve.
 
Andy Bean

Posting might be a bit thin here next week as I am away for a week. By way of reflecting my demob happy state of mind, the best I could come up with is this, from my O Level year, by the Motors:

Just done my first "on demand" Webinar. It was a 1-hour session on a specific topic with a single firm. Very interactive and more flexible than the fixed time sessions but apart from that much the same. I can see me doing more of this.

The debate about Legal Aid reform breaks out in the letters page of the Guardian.

Off out to discuss costs drafting and CDS BVT so little time to post. DO check out the comments on this post though - the fight generator is funny.

Just finished the course notes for Fridays Webinar on Peer Review. Not a bad condensation of a 3-hour course I reckon. Still time to join in should you wish to.

As mentioned yesterday I am dealing with a batch of things at the moment and after more hassle with "on-line" banking I settled down for a bit of also abortive appeal preparation.

I have my first Fixed Fee Contract Compliance Audit (FFCCA) to go as far as an Independent Costs Adjudicator. These for, those out of the loop, focus on nil assessments for breach of contact rules, primarily proof of means issues on Legal Help, as in this case. The nub of this one is - can we do ANY work before proof of means is supplied? I say YES the Commission says NO. I am sure Harry Hill would have an easier solution that these appeals and the Point of Principle application we will inevitably have to make if we don't succeed.

I have a mixed bag of admin., UPOA reconciliation, appeals and Webinar prep. on my plate today and tomorrow, with the perusal of some files for Peer Review training purposes for afters. Chuck a range of phone queries into the mix, taxation, BVT/procurement and even a brave soul considering opening up a Legal Aid practice, and it has been a real 10-penny mix of a day.

Given my forthcoming holiday I also don't much feel like getting stuck into some of the larger projects looming. So bits and bobs for the rest of the week for me.

I remember having a grim laugh when the MoJ first proposed capping central funds costs to Legal Aid rates. It is now firmly on the blocks.

Elsewhere in the Gazette are letters from friends of this site Rodney Warren and Andrew Keogh. I can confirm that the latter is correct with regard to the Wigan DS scheme.

Sorry for light posting last week as I was away for 3 days and without Wi Fi in my hotel room.

Will be worse next week as I am off to Espana with the family - unless someone from the rest of the gang decides to do some posting.

How are you doing with accumulating your 12-hours mandatory management training points, as required by the Solicitors Code of Conduct Rule 5.02?

One of the aims of the new webinar service is to allow you to get all 12, over the course of the year, without moving from your desk. On Friday there is another chance to pick up a point. This weeks course, featuring guest speaker Jane Hucknall of Brennans Solicitors, covers the topic:

"Marketing on a Budget"

and is designed to provide some practical suggestions against the backdrop of the current economic crisis.

A booking form for this course, and the other 3 this month, can be downloaded here. Alternatively just ring the Middlesbrough office to book your place.

Having covered this news story last week we now have Setanta on the brink.

Do you regularly represent criminal clients in any of these five Crown Courts?

• Blackfriars
• Bradford
• Norwich
• Preston
• Swansea

If so you are going to witness the early introduction of Crown Court means testing. Full post consultation document is here.

Here is another cover we are working on:

I have been on the (very busy) road again this week talking to firms about Civil procurement and CDS BVT. Those wedded to Legal Aid are obviously depressed those with a private client escape route less so - in fact one set of family lawyers were positively happy with my "move away from LA if you can" advice.

A central reality for crime only firms (one of whom received the helpful advice of "retrain" from their LSC account manager recently) is that the shortfall from PACE income in a post BVT scheme will have to be mitigated by savings elsewhere. In that vein I have had some very interesting, if slightly scary, discussions as to how IT might be able to help.

I have always been (healthily?) sceptical about the claims made in this regard - especially from case management software vendors - however am now thinking that a radical approach is essential. I've nothing concrete to suggest today - though this is getting closer - so once again watch this space. If you feel like a chat in the meantime give me a ring.

The Friday Webinar service takes a radical step forward this month with the introduction of 2 guest presenters.

To provide some more Management content (to help firms get up to the Solicitors Code of Conduct Rule 5.02 mandatory management points) we have enlisted Jane Hucknall, managing partner of Brennans Solicitors. Her interest, academic qualification and practical experience of law firm management will bring an exciting new angle to the program. On June 12th she will take delegates through "Marketing on a Budget".

Economically times are tough and It is harder to generate fee income. There is also a general drive to reduce overheads - with advertising and marketing presenting easy targets. In this session we will look at simple and cost effective ways of increasing "sales" and generating new business, including referrals, use of the internet and most importantly attracting clients using what you already have.

The second guest Steven Switalski, presenting on June 26th, is a practicing family law barrister and former founding partner of Switalskis Solicitors . The full title of the session is - "A survival guide for solicitors representing parents in Emergency Protection Order applications".

This tried, tested and unforgettable survival guide is all you need to overcome any hesitation that you may have in conducting such cases. Stephen Switalski who was described in the Legal 500 (2008)  as - "extremely good, very easy to work with and knows what's achievable" delivers a course that will have you looking forward to your next EPO hearing."

I will be filling out the month with the hopefully self explanatory courses:

5 Ways to Improve Your Peer Review Rating on June 19th

What Every Supervisor Needs to Know on July 3rd

Full details and a booking form here.

Feedback so far has been positive both with regard to the "webinar" experience and course content. It is undoubtedly a fantastically easy and cost effective method of undertaking vital training.

Was half tempted by this invitation as I knew David Wolfe in my student days (good bloke too). Only half tempted though.

As Mrs Merton used to say "Lets have a heated debate".

This disturbing article involves an e-auction procurement scheme. It sounds not a million miles away from the "declining clock" auction proposed for the CDS.

HAT TIP

Tim @ No. 6