Contrary to the Manchester Regional office's advice, payment for File Review remains under the Unified Civil Contract.

You therefore need to complete your annual FR1 Return form shortly and submit before the end of October.

[SP]

We (well only me really) agree entirely.

Is there anyone out there who wants to give me a bit of off the cuff advice on intellectual property.

This is JUST PLAIN WRONG. And I do not care, Phil Spencer, if "it's all based on official data" you and your smug, self satisfied, southern based researchers are badly mistaken. (The quality of their "research" is demonstrated by the fact that the refer to the town as a "city").

If you want the sweary version of the above just give me a ring.

Channel 4 News can go.........

Out of the blue this morning has been one of back to back calls, especially from Manchester for some reason. Billing enquiries, unlawful Autorecbot activity and, as below, CDS contracting queries etc. etc. I still have two calls to return.

With a bit of luck I might get back to Course writing later!

The joy of Sky plus makes, the otherwise dull, Monday night a festival of last weeks recorded comedy. Amongst the usual, "Earl", "Mitchell & Webb", last night was the first of a new series called "Comedy Showcase" - this starring Martin Freeman out of the Office.

It was OK however the programme lit up when the lead, locked up for assault, was visited in the cells by "International Rescue - er actually I'm not really International Rescue - I'm the Duty Solicitor".

His subsequent entrance into Court, to a tape recording of "Eye of the Tiger" was also a high point but I enjoyed this exchange best, not least because it is so Peer Review correct.

DS "Do you know what I say to all my clients?"

MF "What, 'you have the right of appeal' once they are convicted?"

I have just realised that my immersion in the next training course, and learning my new version of Powerpoint, has distracted me from posting here. That said there is not much going on today.

Couple of phone enquiries, some punters in search of training and one potential new start criminal practice. A day without a major policy announcement seems rather dull these days!

Lets see what tomorrow brings.

I have neither the energy, nor frankly the inclination, to do a lengthy post about the day I have had thanks to our Beneficent Robotic OverlordsTM.

To give a view of my mood however I can tell you that my evening will involve the following two therapeutic activities:

This and later this. I might even combine the latter with the former too!

I imagine that there will be some shouting at Question Time later on as well.

Enjoy your evening.

I have been bent over t'internet all day awaiting a further announcement regarding CDS contracts in January. This was anticipated mid morning but at 15.45 it is still a no show. I will not risk testing my memory of the call which alerted me to this event, so you will have to wait on tenterhooks until there is a "better day for burying bad news". Perhaps Monday.

Enjoy the weekend - I will as from Sunday onwards my lovely Stella will always be safe from the 19-year-old lager thief who lives in the attic!

Over the years we have done very little work with the Bar. I do occasionally get invited to provide a little background information to one set of Chambers from Leeds.

And so it was that this led me to my old stamping ground at the weekend. I never participated in that "frat brat" college rivalry type thing but it was still a shame we were not in Castle rather than Hatfield. Never mind had a couple of excellent pints in the Shakespeare and a fantastic meal at the previously mentioned Gourmet Spot, (we ate off the "normality menu").

It will be cold comfort but the Bar are as disgruntled and nervous as you are!

This is my first WiFi post from the replacement laptop (which with a bit of fiddling also works with the new data projector). Seems to do this too!

The Birmingham crowd were lively yesterday too leaving me with that brains sucked out feeling at the end of the afternoon. As ever it is the questions as yet without a solid answer which are asked more often - particularly with regard to the practicalities of billing. You will need to watch this space.

I now have a couple of hours in the car - probably on the hands free kit for a good proportion of it.

Today Birmingham, Thursday Manchester.

Work on couple of CCA appeals and a new Peer Review representations in between. As I said before a training tour just reels in other work subject to deadlines.

To finish off this necessarily short post just to confirm (as we could to the Newcastle delegates) we also begin work on changes to the CDS 6 and, more importantly, the CMRF Wizards tomorrow - News update then.

To make up for the lack of text and a music clip last week this is who I am going to see next Monday night:

I recently asked for a definition of the phrase -

"concerns raised during recent engagement with our stakeholders".

It looks like there will be a formal round of "engagement with stakeholders" begining shortly in the form of a provider survey of LSC performance.

I'm sure you will all have plenty to contribute.

We did, and a traditional one too (minus rain!). Had lunch at The Stray Cafe Redcar,

View Larger Map
then walked the 4 miles or so to Saltburn for a pint outside the Ship Inn at Saltburn. Later we walked back and had Fish n Chips for tea.

The LSC are trying to attract press attention for CLS Direct.

At the bottom of the page they supply three case studies. It is a long time since I did debt casework (nearly 15 years) however I seriously doubt that it will be possible to achieve similar outcomes within the, roughly, 2 and a half hours of work the tolerance fixed fee will allow post October.

Perhaps the pub landlord will become a real option.

Ham Salad or Cheese and Tomato?

I obviously hate this man however:

"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown in to the sea".

Eric "the traitor" Cantona

For those concerned about the welfare of my recently de-lumped dog she is fine. Got a couple of rather lurid scars and some large shaved patches, but otherwise doing well.

In other wildlife news we were visited by three half grown but clearly domesticated ducks yesterday. They have since moved on.

UPDATE

Have you ever tried to put a sock on a Labrador?

A phrase spoken in a mid 70s, mid-Atlantic accent which confirms the DJ as a total @&*%$£ and that you are not going to enjoy any of the remainder of the evening.

It did however pop into my mind whilst dealing with the latest two phone enquiries.

The first whisked me back to the days when firms wanted to expand, take on new contracts and were often genuinely positive about the future of Legal Aid. I remember an almost parallel situation to this one; firm wanting a civil contract in an area with insufficient supply being told that Legal Aid Stake-holders (eligible clients to you and me) could use irregular public transport to find a supplier at some distance. The current enquirers look like having their all too rare enthusiasm crushed by another act of bureaucratic idiocy.

My second act of time travel was not as far back in time and unfortunately involves a more common problem of recent history - autorecbots and contact reconciliation. There is a similar paradox here in that it involves mucking about a firm positively engaging with the post Carter agenda.

That the LSC does not have the foresight and flexibility to assist, or at least not to hinder, those firms willing to "row with them" remains one of the great mysteries of our age.

My younger dog "Tabby" has successfully had her lumps removed today - a weekend of whimpering in an Elizabethan collar to follow!

We have discussed "excellence in customer service" in three posts in the last two days - mostly to have another (gratuitous?) pop at the Commission. To even things out my question is simple - Is there a large organisation in the world with which it is possible to have a reasonable customer supplier relationship?

Nat West, BMi, Aviance.......?

To be fair to the former they have at least 1 employee with both initiative and the willingness to use it. I can however find no reason whatsoever to be fair to either of the other two who having lost my bag have now lost my insurance claim and have today, 1 month after the event, told me I am wasting my time in any event because they will not cover computer equipment!

I don't want to shout down the phone at a call centre worker I want to shout at someone in authority, based at either firm's head office, to make a point and to waste some of their time too.

By coincidence I have just written my first and only response to a client complaint in 11 years. I am frankly mortified and I suppose ashamed at having to have done so.

By way of contrast I cannot praise highly enough Mr Simon Fuller of Sillars Insurance Services Ltd where thankfully "excellent customer service" still exists!

If you have nothing else to read, either at work or beside your holiday destination swimming pool, may I recommend this. Is it just me or does it read like a Soviet self congratulation on the achievement of another glorious 5 year plan?

"The LSC met or exceeded 12 out of its 13 corporate targets for the last year. Highlights include:"

See what I mean, (I can remember "target setting" at Leeds RO in the 90s), bet you cant wait for the "highlights".

Once again the phrase of the moment, "transformation", crops up. As I have observed before:

Choose your side - Protect or Destroy

Sir Michael's point regarding "excellent customer service" and complaints being at "an all time low" represent an interesting take on the last year. They seem to have airbrushed out of history (the usually mild mannered) Richard Miller's view that the LSC are now "loathed" by the profession and the unprecedented vote of no confidence in them by the Law Society.

"Business as usual" in "continuing to build on this success" then.

Does this prove yesterdays point about "perception gap"?

Travel again precludes a long post - West Mids yesterday North East today so at least not a long journey ahead today.

I had two snapshots of the perceptual gap between the LSC and the profession yesterday (I will avoid naming names and places etc.) both which seem to me mirror the much mentioned disparity in interpretation over the recent judicial review decision.

We should be very worried indeed that the party line penetrates so deeply into the Regional Offices.

A Health and Safety message : Switch of all laminating equipment after use!

If you want to leave a greeting in the comments box help yourself.

You can probably imagine that the return to work in the final week of "VHCCs Under the Hammer" was always likely to be a little hectic. Add to that the usual backlog of general enquiries, a justifiably very angry client himself now on holiday and at loggerheads with the LSC, the lack of a Billberry charger in the office, the office being too hot (yes too hot) and my car being partially broken and you will understand that this is not a completely smooth home coming.

Add to that more reading - when's my next holiday?

Another CLSA Bulletin just received:

17 July 2007 Litigator Graduated Fee Scheme

The LSC has published a consultation paper in respect of the proposed implementation of the Litigator Graduated Fee Scheme. The paper can be found at http://www.legalservices.gov.uk/criminal/consultations.asp.

A web based calculator has been put together to allow firms to calculate the impact of these proposals upon their fees. This is a repeat of a survey launched last year that revealed results that persuaded the LSC to revise the scheme.

We urge members to access the calculator and input data to assist us and other practitioner organisations in collating data to make further submissions to the LSC and to access the calculator and data input forms at http://www.lccsa.org.uk/applications/carterstatisticsmanager/login.asp.

We received this bulletin from the CLSA today:

Invitation to CLSA members who are owners of London firms
Wednesday 25th July 2007 6.00-8.00pm
Main Hall - Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1 tube: Holborn

The figures will be provided in an entirely anonymous fashion.

Have just about finished the latest PR appeal (well "representations" actually). If you missed my opening lines you can read them here.

This was not the only "error of fact" either so with a bit of luck another win to add to the 1.5 so far recorded - not a good record I admit.

I can now concentrate on the growing pile of VHCC applications on the desk opposite which are awaiting some JRS input.

Then it's off to town to replace more items lost/stolen in my case at LHR - that's right it's still not turned up. After that follows a drive to the West Midlands and "surf and turf" in the sad commercial travellers corner of the hotel. Some lucky punters get shouted at about Peer Review tomorrow.

2 more days of VHCC and my reward a week in the sun - don't worry other VHCC bidders I have the entire last week of the month set aside for nothing but "Cases Under the Hammer".

Here I sit angry and depressed in equal measure, but for sure without yesterdays suitecase containing my laptop and data projector, lost between LHR and DTV airports. (I had a 2.5 hour delay too!). With all the training currently in the diary this, of course, makes things extremely tense and I will now lose a significant part of today trying to get my stuff back.

I have uttered paranoid ramblings about the secrative workings of the "Autorecbots", and their plans to get me, before. Surely this is just a coincidence?

UPDATE

Every single bag except mine has been recovered. I now believe my paranoia to be entirely justified.

For many years we have routinely had to respond negatively to requests to undertake civil cost drafting. Put simply, we have the expertise and experience in the Criminal field, but not elsewhere. It is with some excitement therefore that we are now able to offer
such a service. If you are interested, or have just found out about our CDS service, give us a ring.

Off to test post Glasgow security at DTV Airport then down to London (the radio tells me that certain of the tubes are closed etc. so heavens knows when I will get to my destination). I imagine there are Teesside versions of this guy just in case.

This will involve two days dealing with Peer Review followed by the hasty preparation of a further appeal on Thursday and Friday. We still await the results on the last two and yesterdays phone calls suggest no let up in file requests.

Hotel room blogging this morning ahead of a day dealing with an Internal Review and a VHCC application.

The latter seems to be warming up as an issue if yesterday evenings out of hours calls are a good indicator. Everyone we have spoken to has, once again, found this to be a pretty impenetrable process with the accompanying paperwork far from clear. We feel we are getting a handle on it but as ever it is only after you have looked at a couple of potential applications that bidding tactics begin to become clearer.

We are happy to have a phone discussion with bidders - those wanting more direct input should however ring asap as time is running out.

We have always chucked up free plugs for support services we think our readers might be interested in.

Multi-Language is a translation firm based in our neck of the woods, run by a friend of a friend. They can cover over 60 languages with enough individuals to offer fairly widespread and flexible cover. Their rates are not out of order either.

The easiest point of contact, for details, rates etc., is either by e-mail to:

multilanguage@hotmail.co.uk

or to Abdul on 07908 032028

This site will be 2 years old on Sunday and this is the 600th post. The synergy of these two facts perhaps makes now an appropriate time to wish ourselves happy birthday.

I have, for the first time in a long time, two back-to-back days in the office. Having now cleared the decks, mainly junk mail and e-spam, I can now have a think about some work.

Top of the list is "VHCC in the Attic" with of course some revisionary reading about to begin, not least that I am out and about helping firms bid later in the week.

I have also been talking to journalists about Peer Review following the case referred to in the link. I have a little more info on this now and it appears that the LSC caved in at the door of the Court having tried to kick it into the long grass of "arbitration". They have agreed to have a new look at the "appeals" procedure too apparently. There are differing opinions as to whether this is the process beginning to unravel.

Next up is a pile of cheques to sign - can I go back on the road please?

I am composing this in baggage reclaim in Heathrow at the start of another week away from a desk aching with paperwork waiting to be completed. As ever, the timing of things never seems to be quite right - and on top of that the VHCC bids are now open (more later).

My bag has arrived extremely quickly so even this post must be truncated. The tube awaits.

SP

Once again I find myself using this place to bring bad news, this time the tragic death of Ranee Bassi a client of ours in Birmingham. Sadly we only knew Ranee during the difficult times being a female sole practitioner from an ethnic background with an immigration contract created. She did however have the courage, skill and resilience to overcome these odds unlike many others in a similar situation. Moreover she was a willing helper of others struggling with like circumstances.

We extend our condolences to her friends and family.

Train from Darlo to London

Lecture for three hours

Thai meal and a train to hotel near Birmingham NEC

Lecture for 1 hour and then do the Law exhibition

Watch the match in a sad commercial-traveller pub. (Surf and Turf for tea?)

LSC Software Manufacturers meeting

Train home

Finish off Peer Review Appeal

Weekend

Then back to London for all of next week

We once again have to report sad news with the sudden death last week of Steve Bevan, Practice Manager of Payne and Payne Solicitors, Hull. It was Steve who encouraged us to bring our training road-shows to the City and who was a vocal contributor at the events. We share the shock and sadness of his colleagues and extend our condolences to his family and friends.

The funeral will take place at the Holy Trinity Church in Hull at 13:45 on Tuesday 5th June. The family have indicted that it will be family flowers only but any donations will be given to the Frederick Holmes School, Hull which is a special school which Steve's disabled son attended and Steve was on the Board of Governors. The firm are happy to pass on any cards of donations.

Posting here has been a bit haphazard of late. Strangely I find myself busier travelling than for many years, this keeping me out of the office for pretty much all of the next three weeks. The current week for instance involves two days training, one in-house the other as part of the the current tour. Thursday however sees me meeting 2 new clients in the North West. I am supposed to be taking some time out on Friday to spend with my in-laws but that is looking fairly unlikely right now.

Next follows a week with overnights in Birmingham (again) and the one after that is to be spent mainly in London. In the middle of this there is a fresh Peer Review appeal to write and I was hoping to see Middlesbrough Music Live from the rooftop of MIMA on Sunday, not least given that I am in-house training the weekend after.

This level of travel was commonplace at one time however in recent years, especially during the Contract Compliance Wars, I have become more office bound. Given the uncertainty of present times, and often just the simple need to chat with somebody independent, I imagine requests for meetings to increase rather than the opposite.

P.S. sorry there was no Friday video clip last week will do two this to make up.

A correspondent to the Gazette (as ever it is not yet possible to provide a link) has spotted, as we did, the LSC's search for a Transformer. If you missed this first time round the proper job title is "Director of Organisational Transformation". Whether the "attractive six figure package" will compensate for being "loathed" by the profession and the likely hostility from LSC colleagues, constantly suspicious of their jobs being lined up for redundancy, remains to be seen.

Unfortunately applications are now closed. All we can do is await the naming of the new Megatron.

Have you ever bought something expensive which doesn't work properly ? An ineffectual kitchen gadget, a item of clothing which clashes with everything else in your wardrobe, Sky HD which will not properly record "Later...with Jools Holland"?

If you have you might also have experienced the elation of finding an alternate use for it which saves face with your partner, such as standing on it to reach the top cupboards or discovering that it is the best cloth ever for cleaning glasses etc.

I imagine therefore that the LSC are currently having similar emotions with regard to the PDS. Apparently Humberside solicitors are refusing to serve Beverly Magistrates court under the new designated areas standard fee scheme. The Leeds RO are therefore drafting in the Darlington PDS, three days a week, as cover.

Anyone know if this is bringing criminal justice in Darlo to a halt?

Interesting rumours are emanating from Manchester regarding possible delays in the October implementation of Carter. Anyone able to confirm or deny - especially our good Autorecbot readers.

Over the years I have come across "in-tray" exercises in a number of contexts - assessment centres as part of training courses etc. I have always thought them somewhat artificial however I am faced with a real life one today. There are course notes for this forthcoming tour, a special features notice on a large Crown Court bill, a Peer Review appeal, a mock peer review sample sitting there saying read me and a couple of even less interesting tasks.

Probably have to be the training notes.

We will not be discussing football here for some time to come.

Dealing with a phone query surrounding the new Mags standard fee regime has put me in mind of a discussion we had yesterday afternoon. I am aware that we are now to refer to "main urban areas" as "designated areas" for standard fee purposes. That said the original intent was to differentiate town from country.

If you are planning a day trip this weekend you may therefore consider this. Morpeth is in a designated area (urban) whilst we at JRS HQ are not i.e. in the country.

We will be happy to recommend things to do on a sunny Sunday afternoon if you choose Teesside as your destination.

I don't go in for that regional stereotyping thing so I make no claims that its the extra friendly nature of our North East clients which makes working in this part of the world so enjoyable. To be frank it is probably the shorter travel times and greater knowledge of the roads which makes this so.

There is however one thing in particular which is entirely unique to this area - Pease Pudding. If you have never come across this it is a NE delicacy which transforms a ham sandwich (or dry bread if you are a vegetarian). I used to be able to pick up a half-stottie version from the A19 Cafe (Ron Perry's) just north of Hartlepool on every journey north, but not so the last few attempts.

Today my clients provided just this for lunch, fantastic!

If you have never tried it here is a recipe. Delia's is wrong - she uses green marrow-fat peas.

To the much heralded redesign of the site! It is all but complete, few minor changes on the sidebar still to do, but otherwise it is fully operational from today (and we couldn't wait any longer). That said any thoughts on further improvement, or glitches you spot, will be gratefully received.

We think it looks great - well we would wouldn't we - much more up to date feel, and as Sandra put it "cleaner". Let us know what you think.

2 years and 550 posts until we do it again.

I meant to mention the changes to the LSC website last week. The main one of these is the introduction of a "what's new" section which is presumably desdigned to make browsing easier for anoraks like me.

A quick look today shows an interesting new vacancy at the LSC and a press release about the Gateshead CLAC. The job title for the former is interesting given our previous discussion about Transformers.

What I went on the site to find, thanks to shove in the right direction from the ever vigilant Andrew Keogh, the proposed VHCC Panel contract, is however not sited in this new section of the site. Strange.

UPDATE

Richard Miller at the LAPG comments on the CLAC development as follows:

"The new service involves well known local solicitors with good reputations, working alongside nationally respected agencies. We are therefore confident that the quality of advice provided through these organisations will be good. What remains to be seen is whether the arrangements make any improvement in practice to the way clients access legal services, and whether any such improvement is sufficient to justify the cost of the tendering round, and the money spent on restructuring the services rather than providing them."

I tend to agree that this looks like moving chairs around rather than a major new development - they all have existing contracts don't they. Doubtless the evaluation will suggest significant "added value" for clients a couple of years down the line. Or is that too cynical.

First day back in the office so I am going through the usual backlog of messages etc. Fortunately the team seem to be on top of things so this has been a much less trying task (Spam excluded) than in previous years. Most pleasing amongst these is the one CCA result notified during my vacation, a Cat 2 down to Cat 1. The one other outstanding result remains just that, outstanding - must be down to the move of the London Regional Office.

That aside it appears to have been a fairly routine fortnight.

Friend of this site, and fellow veteran of the Contract Compliance Wars, Nick Armstrong of Counsel is on the move. He will shortly be having a new, and hopefully more flattering photo taken to be put up here alongside my old college day's mate and now Legal Services Commissioner David Wolfe . We think his formal start date is April 10th - so those of our clients who have instructed him (with generally good outcomes) know where to find him from then.

We wish him all the best both with this move and his forthcoming first child.

Simon Pottinger

I am off on holiday on Sunday to the Land of the Giant Mouse although we will spend more time at Universal and Seaworld rather than with the superannuated rodent. (I have invites of hospitality from two clients too!).

Perversely, you might say, I do have a bit of regret that I will miss the next two weeks of the the Unified Contract saga. I dare say that this will subside after my first Boston Lager at the House of Blues.

Off to Miami too and have the sleeves rolled up on my jacket and my white shoes on already!

I will try a bit of remote bloggin', best theme park ride, tastiest burger, celeb spots etc., and the team will keep the news up to date here. As ever your thoughts and contributions gratefully received.

See you in a fortnight.

There is likely only to be this short post today, for two reasons:

1 I imagine many regular readers will be on the National Training Day in Birmingham

2 I am very busy, with three deadlined appeals to complete before close of business.

More tomorrow.

Despite a few recent victories, and an anticipated lull in combat given the forthcoming Contract year-end, hostilities continue with the Autorecbots. They have, however, now resorted to dirty tactics in their attempts to frustrate the work of JRS.

Last night at 2am, a London Unit set off the fire alarm in my hotel, requiring a full scale evacuation and 15 minutes on a shivering cold London street. Ingenious hey?

Remember, just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you.

Posted by Blueberry from Heathrow.

Well here I am at Olympia (it is quite nostalgic as I used to live over the road, might even have a pint at my old local later!). I am currently writing this months Indi Lawyer column and handling some phone enquiries.

The latter are inevitably depressing - significant loss of income to a family firm due to the "harmonisation" of FPC and CC rates and the second firm today facing difficulty in getting a new Criminal contract under the market stability measures.

More later.

I am shortly to leave for Law London where I am speaking. I have the last hour of the day slot which, rather than making me headline act, works in reverse. By then most punters will, I imagine have wandered off home with their CPD points carefully tucked away in a pocket leaving me an almost empty room. Never mind I shall do some sad commercial traveller work in hotel tonight and go see a London client tomorrow morning.

Having finally succumbed to the lure of the billberry I might even try a post from there later.

Bt the way (or BTW as my kids might say in a text message) we failed to notice an important milestone for this place earlier in the week - our 500th post. It is becoming quite a mature site - well at least in age if not always in content.

And they said it would never last!

In a celebrity appearance on Radio 5 Live to discuss "reasonable force" Steve Wedd used the phrase "nuts" in a discussion about what constitutes self defence for a police officer who has his "nuts" gripped by an assailant.

Er that's it.

I am in the middle of an intriguing day writing (or rather editing) a tender for a client, mulling over two Internal Reviews and phone monitoring an ongoing audit. The former feels a bit like a glimpse into the future under post Carter Best Value Tendering not least with the VHCC version due to begin later this year. The remaining tasks are pretty much the run of the mill mortal combat I have been involved in for the last few years. Given Richard's views, as expressed below, it seems that this might remain part of the scene moving forward too. I certainly hope not.

By the way do read Andrew's comment here (the first three are spam).

I am back in the mire of Contract Compliance today much to my annoyance. Interestingly, as an addendum to yesterday, the threshold for concern on taxation of CDS 7 bills is to be 15%. Now I appreciate the differences in the processes here, especially the issue of enhancement claims, but that said why did we get 10% as the point at which much more draconian extrapolation decisions were made?

Steve is here doing more work on Peer Review - a non-live sample to inform a forthcoming training event.

Andy is out on site doing good old fashioned fieldwork i.e. zapping armies of Autorecbots from behind an oil drum.

Sandra is taking bookings for the next training tour - spaces still available. She is also very pleased with an incoming piece of "fan mail".

Sarah is working on two Crown Court bills both of which we anticipate, in advance, making enhancement claims and probably, given the current taxation climate, appeals too.

To lighten things in the office we are also having a "use stupid words day".

A quick post today as I am away to London - two days of training - the first on CDS billing and the second on, yes you've guessed it Peer Review. It will make a bit of a change to blow the dust off CBAM and rekindle all those fond memories of the very many criminal Contract Compliance appeals we ran.

Will try and post from my hotel tomorrow.

"Quality Profile reports are not currently being produced due to issues over the integrity of the data the (sic) contain".

Has anyone else encountered a similar response from the LSC or is it just one RO?

We sit here awaiting the publication of the much vaunted Carter changes "market stability measures". (Sadly with far more anticipation than is healthy - but it's too murky to "go out and get a life" frankly).

We are passing the time by checking a live PR sample and helping with an application to become an LSC Commissioner.

Oh what fun we have on a late winter Monday at JRS.

P.S. Andy has just rung to ask if it is available yet - see what I mean!

Having recently posed the question "Do Autorecbots have pets?" we were also wondering if they had a sense of humour?

Earlier I expressed my trepidation that a meeting with an Arb today might potentially be influenced by his reading of this site.

Early into the discussion we received an assurance to the effect:

"You needn't worry I'm not going to behave like an Autorecbot"

Very good indeed!

So the answer would seem to be Yes - mind you I think I already knew that:

The Autorecbots are busy again this morning. Andy has dealt with 2 phone enquiries (one over a very small and arguably de minimis overpayment) and I have spoken to a client who the LSC is leaving alone because "we have so badly messed up your contract".

At this point I think it is important to make clear the very deal difference between Autorecbots and Autobots. As the Wikipedia entry explains the latter are the good guys from the toy marketing cartoon "Transformers" where they are engaged in an eternal battle with the evil Decepticons.

By contrast Autorecbots are British Civil Servants. They too seem split into two camps those who are undertaking their current tasks with reluctance and embarrassment and those who seem to think it is fun. We are not sure if they have different names for each other.

To help with future identification here are some Autorecbots on their annual works day out and here are some Autobots.

Just came across the above named site by chance.

Are you one? Fortunately there are not too many names I recognise and not one of our retained clients is there.

That said it looks like a single, motivated, disgruntled client is all that it takes to create an entry.

I have just received an e-mail from a firm using the title of this post to describe the LSC's actions regarding the reconciliation of their contract.

This is not an unusual course of events. The firm in question request an e-mail of previous posts on the issue. So for ease of access here are the three most recent in chronological order:

"Irreconcilable?"
"This Mornings Incoming" and
"Robbing Hood"

Auspiciously the first piece of New Year LSC correspondence we view, to a client firm, starts off with a misspelling of the Senior Partners name. Now given my own frailties in this area I would not seek to criticise, not least that it looks like a data base entry error.

In the first paragraph however it has one of those phrases which drives me mad, "roll out", in this case with regard to Preferred Supplier. I appear however to have being spelling this hateful piece of jargon incorrectly as it should be "role out". To avoid further embarrassment I intend to use the single word "implementation" as an alternative.

Wishing people a Happy and Prosperous New Year has something of a hollow ring given all we know about what is afoot. We do nonetheless extend that thought ot all our readers.

Somewhat depressingly one of the first e-mails thorough is from a committed and long-standing client, who has finally realised that our equally long-standing advice that they should move away from publicly funded work makes business sense. I guess that this will not be an uncommon experience in the next 12 months and that any number of small market towns will become Legal Aid advice deserts.

We do however continue to believe that those making a resolution to stick with it, and having the commitment to deal with the new schemes, should be able to make a go of it. At JRS we move into our 11th year of trying to assist those starting out with that intent.

Here is a post to wish all readers a Merry Christmas and hopefully a happy and prosperous New Year. Andy and I will be available on the mobiles but the office will be shut from tea time today.

Enjoy the break, for those getting one, and see you in the New Year

Here is some timely advice from the LSC.

I think it is aimed at the general public however it is difficult to read it without a wry smile. It would however be in bad taste to parody it here, not least because last night I discovered that a close friend has just been made redundant.

Nonetheless under their sub headline "Tips for a debt free Christmas" one might sensibly append - Plan for a Legal Aid free New Year.

Anon in the comments here asks for a picture of the new mats.

Here it is.

To repeat we will mail one out FREE on request,

Switching from Cats to Mice we today begin a FREE promotional offer to regular readers, of a "Disclosure" mouse mat. Ring or e-mail your details and we will pop one in the post. Two to the first brave LSC applicant.

We think they are brilliant.

Update

They have just arrived and are lovely (except a mistake on the fax number). Get you order in now!

For those who haven't spotted it yet Sandra is on an extended holiday down under - though not for the cricket (however after today's sterling efforts that's probably not a bad thing).

Joanna is therefore managing the office and can deal with all usual enquiries.

This assertion - that we are all in this together so must work together - is the "overall message", spoken in a "conciliatory tone", by the new LSC Chief Exec Carolyn Regan at the end of a double page interview in this mornings Gazette. Now I have not met Ms Regan, nor seen her in action, and I certainly do not envy her in the current climate. She has also only been in post for a couple of months and has yet not even been able to complete her planned tour of the Regional Offices. One cannot therefore expect her to have a fully rounded and nuanced overview of the LSC's role in the current process of change, just yet. She might also have been quoted out of context and neither is it a radical message - we have heard it before from LSC people. To hear it repeated at this time does however drive me mad.

Why so? It is essentially nonsensical, purchasers and suppliers have often diametrically opposed aims and concerns which will inevitably lead to disagreement and conflict. Why can the LSC not simply admit this obvious state of affairs and move away from this bland PR strategy - nobody involved really believes it anyhow. This is not advocacy for an adversarial relationship, no one wants that, but lets have one, a relationship that is, based on an honest appraisal of the aspirations of these fundamentally different types of organisation.

Central to this, it seems to me, is the need for a fuller acceptance by the LSC that Law firms are legitimately profit seeking concerns (resentment in this regard still persists even at quite senior grades in the Commission). What the LSC are engaged in, much of it equally legitimately, frustrates this. The gulf in mindset between civil servant and business people remains vast and I have witnessed little evidence of any attempt to bridge it. Certainly Ms Regan's message does not.

Empathy with such concerns remains in short supply and this is made worse by the significant inequality in arms between the Commission and suppliers. If she had said that her overall message was "a new regime of professional, partnership working with law firms" I would still have been sceptical however not maddened.

Rant over. Back to the special features notices.

I cannot vouch for the quality of this organisation having never used them. I do however have a great amount of respect for the man behind it. He was one of the few very good practice managers I have met over the last decade and he knows the business inside out. On that basis I would heartily recommend his firm and will put a direct link on the side bar when we redesign the site. For now the above will have to do.

So if you need transcription services give them a ring.

Finally all the best Mark!

Regular readers will know that my musical collaboration with my brother is called "slow time mondays". We are having a Christmas Special on 14th December. Monies raised will be split between an orphanage where my brothers god daughter has just completed from a six month voluntary stint and an aids clinic my sons girlfriend has been raising money for all year.

Pop along if you can if not buy a copy of our album "Start" at £5 and we will send £4 to LawCare.

I rarely post on a weekend but how about this.

A bird strike has smashed a window at my home. How much do you think it will cost me for a "glazier" to come out and board it up? (Not repair it, that will have to wait until Monday).

I will give you the answer to both then.

CLUE It is more than standard Legal Aid rates!

I have not a huge amount of time for Jury's Inn hotels - they seem a slightly more expensive Travel Inn with a bit of an attitude. They do however have good internet access hence the ability to post on the road.

Today I am in Birmingham with a sold out room of Peer Review delegates in Doug Ellis' former Directors Boardroom. It will be interesting to see if they are as voluble as the crowds at the last two events.

One thing about this type of touring is that you get to see (out of the corner of your eye rather than actually watch) quite a bit of early morning telly. Currently this seems either to involve human or animal hospitals or various versions of property shows. You will be pleased to know that the damaged Red Kite featured in todays show is going to survive.

What seems a very long week is drawing to a close with only the simple matter of delivering three hours CPD training this pm to go. If the crowd is as engaged, discursive and feisty as in Cardiff on Wednesday then it will be less simple. Having just read the Gazette perhaps this is part of the reason for their energy. That said they were one of the liveliest crowds I've "shouted" at in recent times.

That was sandwiched between two of my remaining Cost Committee appointments (I will be back now in Manchester before the fall). One went reasonably well the other less so. Both, in different ways, demonstrated the strength and flaws of this system, however I remain convinced it is better than what is set to replace it. That said I will not miss hearings one bit notwithstanding the loss of income involved!

So a round trip from Middlesbrough to Manchester to Ross-on-Wye to Cardiff to London and home is done. (I have two warning lights on though for my troubles). Next week it is Brum and London.

The highlight of the week seeing one of these from my bedroom window here. The food and accommodation were good and good value also.

Sorry to bang on about this however we have just confirmed with LawCare that the (limited) proceeds from "Start", £4 of the £5 advisory cover price, will go to them. Get your cheque books out.

First days back, even from a long weekend break are always a pain. I have a job I desperately want to sort today, however this morning I couldn't take my car for a service as I was unable to find part of my driving license (for courtesy car purposes). A wasted hour later that had to be cancelled and put back to later in November.

In the office there are a number of small but urgent jobs to do, so my main task for the day, the tidying of a CCA appeal will now go over into into tomorrow.

Positively, we have a PR result in showing "threshold competent" (that 's 4 such categorisations in a row for CDS firms) which will be at least a bit of a relief and they now have plenty of time to get their score a grade higher.

Finally, does anyone have any experience of the subsidised training-grant scheme? If you do, would you give me a ring.

By the way Barca was as fantastic as anticipated with temperatures around 24c all weekend.

During the conversation outlined here it became clear that my missus did not get how to use blog comments boxes. This set me thinking that others might be in the same situation, rather than just being shy.

It is a simple process. Just click on the blue "comments" link and a new screen pops up. Type in your name and e-mail address in the fields provided and then type your comment into the large box at the bottom. (You can cut and paste from word processing software if you want to spell check etc.) You can then either "preview" the comment or "post" it direct.

If you want to remain anonymous simply choose a pseudonym (most blog commentators do this) and put in a false e-mail address e.g. a@b.com - this is better than simply "anon" if conversations do break out.

Andy and I had what might loosely be called a "partnership meeting" on Monday night and we talked about this place a bit.

The reason for this is that traffic to the site has grown exponentially in the last few months, each setting a consecutive new record for the number of monthly visits. This month might see us go above 1,000 users. Far from making us complacent we feel this is a resource we can further develop and I am going to meet the design and technical people in the near future to this end (they independently think it needs a visual make over).

Beyond that this post seeks you, the visitors, thoughts. To get things going here are some of my own.

We need more conversations going in the comments boxes (hence the post above this one). Writers other than me and more guest contributions - not just pinching LAPG press releases when they drop on the mat - might help. As far as we can tell people like the lighter off topic stuff too so perhaps more of that.

Any ideas of you own grateful received.

Check the comments boxes on this blog and you will see that we have never been very good at achieving Mrs Merton's holy grail of a "heated debate".

One appears to be brewing here however. The other party to the dispute is a former Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year. Go on join in!

Makes a bit of a change to the usual stories we put up on here though.

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 based Samaritans type. Plus I'm having lunch with a client two days in a row which is a rare treat - not just the food, but the chance to chat in general about the state of things.

Yesterday it was with someone I've not seen for 3 years who has just begun to do a bit of Legal Aid work again after a similar period of absence. It's a degree of distance which places the current regime in sharp perspective making for a degree of relief at not currently being in charge of a law firm.

Today I can guess the tone of the conversation in advance, it has been the same for nearly 10 years. We will cover the difficulty of undertaking Legal Aid work in effectively an advice desert not least the ever present problem of recruitment. I will then bring them a message about Peer Review which they will not want to hear and the attraction of private client and commercial work will seem ever rosier.

Tonight I am going to my local to watch loud, live music.

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 I called my wife when she did the very same thing, however suggestions for the most appropriate descriptive term for someone making this elementary mistake can be made below.

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. Both involve a targeted sample of criminal files which plainly are looking at high cost PACE claims and the billing of certain categories of magistrates court cases.

Both involve trends or billing patterns easily discernible from management data such as the Contract Management Review Criteria. This reinforces the message that understanding the LSCs statistical take on your firm plays an important role in keeping you out of their cross-hairs.

I got the third degree at both Teesside (sorry Durham Tees Valley) and Heathrow Airports either side of yesterdays tour date.

At Heathrow bag drop I had the following conversation:

She "Do you have anything sharp in your hand luggage?"

Me "I have no hand luggage apart from this book"

She "Its a big book that isn't it?"

Me "Yes"

She "You could really whack someone over the head with that couldn't you"

Me "You can't even joke about things like that!"

She "Oh we don't care we're sick of all the changes"

She "You've not got anything concealed in it have you?"

Made up for the indignity of having to take my shoes off it did.

Just lodged a CCA appeal, did an IR yesterday, dealt with a panicky CDS lawyer and made a decision over Xmas party date and venue. I sit here with a bad neck waiting for Parcelfarce to deliver the next appeal trying to work on course notes for this.

Who says it all change!

Had a bit more of this this this morning. Plus more from the spambots!

The former leads me to re-link to this. Essential reading especially, obviously, for criminal firms but also it is helpful for civil practice too.

As for the spambots - there are a number of peculiar comments below obviously not from legal aid practitioners. These look fairly benign and lead to an Italian site clearly trying to boost its google ratings. Our wonderful techies are onto it and we are going to upgrade the software in the near future hopefully without too much disruption here but if so advance apologies.

Finally on the headline - Who would win in a fight?

With Andy on his hols it has been a bit like old times for me with regard to phone enquiries. Most of these are technical/operational and so go to the fieldworkers. I tend to get the serious problems which fortunately generates significantly less traffic. Currently, and not surprisingly, I also get quite a bit of "what does Carter mean to me?" type quizzing.

Right now I'm back in the world where the first and last hour of the day are given over to mobile. Today so far I've had Carter, contract reconciliation, Carter, defence costs orders, enhanced, serious offences claims, in the police stations and Carter.

(On top of that, at this place we've had a spam bot posting to the comments boxes which, given their content, needed removal. A time consuming and very boring process).

Given the weight of Carter queries you might like to be reminded of this and this. (Be patient with the downloads).

Looking for something to keep you interested whilst by the pool sipping a St Miguel next week? Here is the LSC Annual Report and Corporate Plan.

It's cheeper than the latest Jilly Cooper too!

On the last day in July the site stats. suggest that this has been the busiest month to date, certainly with regard to "visits". There has been pretty steady growth this year and now we have 350-400 regular visitors who check out the site once or twice a week.

The feedback we get is universally supportive (surprisingly including some voices from the other side) so frankly some constructive criticism would be nice. Certainly the incorporation of the precedent materials to the side bar was a major step forward in recent times so what else would improve the site?

For my part I have been a bit surprised by how little commenting goes on. To reiterate this can be done anonymously (just give a fake e-mail address when you post) or under a pseudonym. Am I not being controversial enough or are you all too busy?

Could we do with more guest posts? I would be happy to incorporate articles from the "readership", especially contrary viewpoints - so there's an invite there too.

Beyond that it seems to be steady as she goes at the moment unless, of course, you have any other ideas!

Having not done a Cost Committee for a while two have come along back to back.

Friday we were arguing about out of time billing in Leeds and today I have a batch of reduced CDS 7s in Manchester. I need to get in the car and drive there in a minute.

After than I am down to Brum and the chance to become a TV presenter tomorrow. More on Wednesday

I tend to agree with Nigel in the comments on Fridays last post. Certainly Lord Carter's approach to the civil scheme, demonstrating sensitivity given the fragility of the market, seems to have passed the LSC by. One might describe it as "more robust" or point to inconsistency with the tone of the headline report. It does however seem to demonstrate intent.

Perhaps this is why they are looking for Braveheart.

With two appeals put to bed yesterday, one on Peer Review and one on SQM CQCs, I am left with the most impenetrable Immigration CCA audit I have ever witnessed - and that is saying something. On top of this 8 storage boxes arrived, with the next one in the queue, this morning! I thought this was over!

Consequently my head hurts. (And we are comfort eating burgers for lunch)

With tomorrow potentially being Carter Day I need to keep things brief today. There are however two debates you might wish join in. The first, directly below this post, regarding Cost Committees (especially following NF's very frank comment yesterday) and this one. The latter will be of interest to CDS participants.

Happy Carter Day tomorrow!

Didn't want to sell it anyhow!!

I return to my desk after two day away to the usual mountain of paper. This includes two CCA appeals, ongoing PR representations (I have stopped calling these appeals) and a CC hearing regarding out of time billing. On top of this are two references (why people think anyone listens to my opinion is unclear) and the negative outcome of an SQM audit. Best get moving then.

Many thanks to those who sent birthday wishes on Friday. The England result aside we had a nice celebration on Saturday and I may put some pictures up later in the week.

It is this firms 10th Birthday tomorrow. I had been composing a longish retrospective post but now I've arrived at the point I don't really like its tone. That said I couldn't let this anniversary go unmarked. So I have few simple thank yous instead.

First, to all the JRS staff who have worked so hard and diligently over the years. The current team has been together for some time now but others have come and gone whose contribution should also be recognised. Heart felt thanks to all.

Next, to that select group of people at the LSC who have been fair, consistent and positive in their dealings with our clients and ourselves. You know who you are!

Finally to our clients. I think we have been blessed to have been able to work with such a fantastic bunch of people, some for nearly all of the duration. In that time we have fallen out with less than a handful and disliked even fewer. Many more have sadly, for a range of reasons, left the legal aid stage, the majority as a result of the never-ending change, intrinsic to the current scheme. The longevity of some of these relationships suggest that we have got something right with the services we deliver and ethos of the firm.

In July 1996 I had no real premonition as to what JRS might become, if anything the life it has developed is counter to the predictions made to the then bank manager. I therefore make no bold guesses about the next 10 years suffice it to say we wish all those we have come into contact with to date the very best for the next decade.

Apologies to the clients let down today because of my surprise present - a "full hospitality" day out here. Not sure it's the best day of the event though (but don't tell my wife that). This will probably mean radio silence on Friday too.

I have a good story about Points of Principle for you mutual anoraks on Monday.

BTW - the files did not arrive yesterday so boring day had by all.

If you remember this one I am now off to the Vets again to be relieved of a large sum on money.

UPDATE

Another accurate prediction.

For the second time in a week its worth having a look at Marcel Berlins at the Guardian Blog "Comment is Free".

Its about hourly rates - before you read it have a stab at what threshold you would consider an appeal to a costs judge?

Just made good our promise to talk thorough Quality Profile Reports and Contract Management Review Criteria (QPR & CMRC) for those understandably bewildered by them. This was a case in point not least that one of the key failures showed more refused substantive applications appealed than actually made in the same period!

Unusually for JRS I managed to make someone express relief rather than despair. Try it out - just fax them through and see if we improve your weekend.

Question 1

The LSC have not advertised the vacant Chief Executive post in the Law Society Gazette. Is this because:

A. It is not a good advertising medium because people only read the SDT findings to see who has been struck off this week.

B. An advert in The Times meets their equal opportunity requirements and they have somebody lined up.

C. They are relying mainly on the use of head-hunters.

D. They are not looking for lawyers, or anyone like them for that matter.

E. All of the above.

So far we have received only one nomination for the Peoples Commissar for Justice, former LAB Leeds Area RD Glenys Stacey. Any further suggestions gratefully received.

UPDATE

An eagle eyed friend of the site has informed us that they advertised in the Gazette last week. WHOOPS. (It is towards the back and after the articles).

However for the sake of balance, we constantly criticise them for their mistakes, I will leave the offending post up rather than delete it. Look we make mistakes too!

And to the VIP who suggested I should apply this is another compelling demonstration (amongst many others) as to why I am not "demonstrably fit for purpose".

Off to that London for more shouting tomorrow. This is the last of the PSS and Peer review tour.

More later if I can find a PC.

Anon makes an interesting comment on this thread. If you feel the urge to comment you can do as s/he has done and simply pick an alias and put a false e-mail address in that field.

Funny start to the week with work on two JRs which are bubbling away nicely and a third a twinkle in the eye of another litigious client (to mix the metaphors). As with all this stuff we are by necessity a little cryptic however what is clear is that at least a few brave souls out there are on the front foot. As ever happy to talk about these more confidentially and promise to tell you the news as it happens.

Later its back to CCA appeals and training prep for later in the week.

We usually experience a quiet Tuesday following a Monday Bank Holiday. Is this due to the traditional extra holiday enjoyed by many law firms or is this practice now dying out. If you are in work (or reading this at home) let us know you experience.

I don't believe we are the only legal blog. There are blogging communities in all sort of realms, sport, music, politics and even I am told sex. In these e-villages people contact each other, swap stories and links and consequently expand.

It might be that what we, and you, are involved in too small and esoteric a sphere of operation. The CLSA message board is quite busy however and so too I understand is Crimeline's equivalent. But a seeming lack of blogs?

It is very easy, hence I can do it, and takes as little as 5 minutes a day. At an annual cost of around ?300 quid it is a highly cost effective communication device. So here is a call for forward thinking legal aid practitioners to get bloggin' too. We and our tame techies would be happy to advise.

We are also more than happy to link to blogs and more traditional web-sites in the side bar - just post you URL.

Not Shakespeare but two offerings from our friends at the LSC this morning.

Firstly a CCA outcome with the audit rating a percentage point (and over 1,000 English pounds on recoupment) out. They are also 2 pence out on the calculation of the amount allowed. Obviously the former is more important than the latter and even so you might think neither of these is too significant. However if this is a fault in the audit software rather than a manual entry error then the impact upon other firms might be more significant.

Next up we are told (by way of standard letter) that neither our clients nor ourselves can attend an SFP appeal. A casual read of the SFP Arrangements Part 4, 4.5 suggests otherwise. Some standard letters to amend then.

You are now anticipating me taking the moral high again aren't you. Sorry I cant resist - firms get slaughtered at audit for mistakes let alone ones which appear systematic failures. And given that erroneous standard letters are receiving such approbation on Peer Review.....

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

First day back but unfortunately suffering from the curse of Tutenkhamun.

Mixed news greets me - a failed attempt at a PoP (no change there) and notification of another "below competent" Peer Review result balanced against a (partial and only technical) result on a PR appeal (substantive to follow).

I of course am doing final run throughs of the new courses for Manchester tomorrow and Leeds on Thursday - I will no doubt see some of you there.

I'm off for ten days to the land of the Pharoes. Dependant upon internet access I intend to do a little off topic posting largely to make everyone sick at being at work. Andy, Steve and Sandra should add the odd story to keep things ticking over here.

See you soon.

For those who have expressed interest "Abby" (though usually called Tabby) is making a good, if expensive, recovery from unfortunately all to frequent allergy related symptoms. Having had two long walks yesterday (thanks to the longer nights) she is resting on her "sick chair" today. I have passed on good wishes.

Great start to the week! I am just about to spend another sixty pounds (for a 10 minute examination and a pocketful of drugs) mending one of my dogs - so reduced time to post here.

I have a week of training and Contract Compliance appeals ahead starting with Peer Review in-house this p.m.. With the appeal in between its the Carter proposals at Hull on Wednesday which is also Independent Lawyer copy deadline. I have Thursday and Friday to tidy up then 10 days in Egypt.

Better get the dog sorted then.

I don't want to treat this headline story flippantly though the temptation is obvious. I have to say that given the experience of the last two years I am not surprised.

Below we run a guest post from IT firm Afentis. In the past we have run short pieces by other organisations such as the Institute of Prison Law and we regularly post info from our friends at the LAPG and CLSA.

With traffic through the site increasing and to break the tedium of endless posts by me about depressing subjects this is something we would like to expand. So here is an open invitation to anyone out there if there is something you would like to plug, get off your chest have a rant about just e-mail us and so long as its legal we'll publish it.

In the alternative use the comments boxes.

IT Forensic specialists Afentis have published the slides from their recent seminar into advances in cyber-crime and how the legal community are shaping up to deal with ever increasing numbers of digital evidence exhibits. Confused about the black art of data recovery or how criminals are tied to the scene of the crime with cell site analysis? This material is a digestible, jargon free, introduction to this field ? information that needs to be high on the radar of today?s criminal defence solicitor.

Ian Kelcey (scroll down a bit) has just been on my radio (BBC 5 Live) talking about the problem of being locked in interview rooms with criminal cleints.

Today's a day when I am doing jobs relating to 2 Internal Reviews (one heading for JR), a CCA appeal, a Costs appeal and a Peer Review appeal. I am glad I am not to be locked in a room with any of these justifiably angry clients.

Do you subscribe to this publication?

Its strap line, " the eyes and ears of the the legal aid profession" is pretty close to the mark - though I'm biased as I do the odd 500 words a month for it.

It's founding editor Fiona Bawdon moved on recently and her replacement Jon Robins has given it a new look and produced his first issue - a "Carter Review Special" including an interview with the man himself. I'm not going to tell how the story ends however he gets this cracking and highly illustrative quote out of Lord Coles:

"We want to pay for efficiency. Don't expect the government to 'subsidise' a lawyer's 'life style' choice"

Another fantastic bit of reporting comes from an exchange at the Constitutional Affairs Committee in February:

Keith Vaz MP - 'What is the telephone number of CLS Direct?'

Vaz - 'If you cannot remember, how do you expect the public to know how to get access to these services'

(I might be going a bit soft but I do feel this was a tad unfair on Brian he's hardly the receptionist is he)

Anyhow don't just read these edited highlights subscribe here.

Despite the advent of PSS and the dark cloud of Carter the routine work of JRS trundles along.

On a traditional theme another Peer Review appeal has arrived. Yes, you can guess the profile - long admitted, very senior criminal practitioner now told "below competent".

We completed our first CCA appeal for some time yesterday hopefully one of the 4 out or 5 with a wrong initial categorisation.

Sadly the latest attempt to get Points of Principle certified has failed. Why are some CCs so pro-Commission and seemingly anti profession?

Finally we might have a further South Yorkshire venue for the Peer Review Tour (should we make tee shirts?). If there is enough local interest we can bring the circus to a town near you!

Just had a phone call from a firm shortly to convert to an LLP. The LSC have been made aware of this and have requested personal guarantees from the current partners. Other clients tell us they have converted with no such request.

As below any experiences of this would be gratefully received.

On Friday I briefly mentioned the issue of contract reconciliation. Since the publishing of their Corporate Targets last summer LSC Account Managers have been trying to balance individual contracts for the end of this month/year.

This is an old battle. It is also one that has resulted in a number of outcomes.

The essential position is that from the very inception of both Civil and Criminal contracting there was a financial inducement regarding the reconciliation of payments and claims. This is best summarised in the letter we referred to last week which indicates that the SPL will include:

"a one month 'pull forward' of payments against claims, designed to improve contracted firms' cash flow"

Something similar was actually contained in the Criminal contract.

The standard position has been for the LSC to try and achieve an exact balance at year end unless the firm resists by relying on the above. Then there are a number of results including not allowing criminal firms the extra 10% allowed for in contract but rather 5 or 7.5%. This year they seem to be trying even harder.

We negotiated a very sensible result for an under-reporting firm last week though, seemingly against the run of play. However a friend of this site in the Midlands is currently getting a less receptive response from his RO regarding the "pull forward" which he, quite rightly, thinks is better off in his bank account rather than theirs.

All experiences of these negotiation gratefully received.

The new contract year begins shortly. One of the many functions of our free CDS 6 & and CMRF Wizards is a sheet dedicated to contract management and reconciliation. Consequently every year you need to start a new one for each contract.

These are now available so as Fred Pontin would say "book early!" and contact the office.

Today is Manchester and the end of the Carter mini tour, or it was. I have it to do in-house on Wednesday and there is a new Hull date - 5th April. Sandra is also finalising dates for Peer Review in April/May details to follow.

Spent Friday looking at an appeal against a refusal of a Specialist Fraud Panel application. The immediate impression is that they are looking for any reason to refuse and the best finding was (and I paraphrase) as follows -

"you had this case between March 2003 - October 2004 this is only 6 months and so this cannot be considered as a VHCC SF case"

Maths revision starts this morning.

This weeks travelling is over and I'm back in the frozen north, with a flooded kitchen to prove it. The car is in for a pit stop before starting over again next week.

The main topic has of course been Carter. The phrase coined earlier in the week "resigned incredulity" remains an appropriate description of the reactions.

Some other things appear to have been happening however.

Probably Carter related but the LSC are advertising for Peer Reviewers again. Deadline date is 24th March so get going - supposing you can spare 2 days a month.

We have another lawyer as a political party leader. What do the lib dems think about Legal Aid reform?

I'm dusting down the DJ for next weeks annual Law Society dinner.

I've just ordered steak for lunch on my in-house training day next Wednesday - who says there is no money in Legal Aid.

I have also agreed to speak at the North West Legal Aid Conference on the 25th May 2006 - can't find any web advertising to link to though yet.

I am now off to check on the washer. Perhaps I'll take my own advice and get on a plumbing course, though fortunately this does seem to be simply a frozen pipe.

I have met very few celebrities. I did however spend a fantastic evening in the company of Linda Smith. Subsequent to a benefit performance for the voluntary sector in Stockton-on-Tees she identified our table as the one most likely to be going elsewhere, drinking, and tagged along. She was genuinely interested in our work and had none of the edge or conversation dominating self-importance one might have expected. She was fantastic company and very, very funny. Saw her live a couple of times after that and was sad to here of her death yesterday.

A bit like the advice not to work with children and animals is that about when and where to discuss politics - in this case not in a work related blog. I could not however pass this article by especially as it refers to "lawyers". The (offending) paragraph reads as follows:

Not surprising, then, that at a recent meeting in London of a Muslim group, the anger was visceral. This was not some radical fringe group, but the "cream of the Muslim educated elite, as assimilated as it is possible to be", as one participant described the 100-strong audience of lawyers, accountants, teachers and the like. But "enough is enough" was the comment from the floor that attracted the applause, as did the threat that "we will react without the shackles of rationality, regardless of the consequences".

Now I know quite a few Muslim lawyers and I find it hard to believe that any of them would "react" in such a way. Maybe someone would like to put Madeline right on the subject.

ONE

I am reminded, by a request made yesterday, that the side bar linking to firm's web-sites is sorely under used (only 4 to date of around 30 daily visitors). If you want a connection to your firm's site simply e-mail the url and we will put up a link. No exams, no censorship and no brown paper bag transactions required.

TWO

If you have views on a subject please feel free to use the comments boxes, anonymously if you prefer, (again people will often ring me or e-mail direct rather than use the functions available on the site). Alternatively if you have a more substantial view on a subject send it and we will almost certainly put it up as a guest post.

N.B. We are particularly keen to collate views on Carter at this time.

I ran out of time to post on Monday (and the story I teed up last week has yet to get final approval for publication) as my windscreen wipers packed up and I had a rush to get to Teesside International Airport (Durham Tees Valley in 21st Century language). Then with 6 hours of shouting at people yesterday (training to you) another blog day passed by.

In any event the real excitement of my journey south was the A list celebs travelling with me. At Heathrow I bumped into Ming "the merciless" Campbell at the bagrec carrousel and on the way back I followed Teesside's X Factor finalists Journey South down the steps and through customs.

Oh the star studded life of a jet legal services consultant.

We had an interesting and important post lined up for today but we have to delay it at least 24 hours.

Don't miss it tomorrow.

Those who have known me for some time (well from November 2003 at least) are aware that I have an Action Man style plastic neck. This has worked well for most of the last two years but occasionally gets a bit achy. Today is one of those days so only this short apologia for the lack of a substantive post.

Off to the toy doctor on Monday so hopefully more then.

Today has been a real mixed bag of jobs. Looking at possible PoPs on an unsuccessful CCA appeal (yes we do have them), a client complaint going to an adjudicator and two firms experiencing financial difficulties.

Of the latter both are crime only, and hence Legal Aid only, practices. One of them is of a size which should be highly profitable and must surely be of the model the LSC have in mind for preferred suppliers. Whilst I will have some suggestions for a survival strategy one obvious conclusion is that basic rates are insufficient. An old and predictable conclusion that might be but it's one which I can only see getting worse as charging rates continue to erode in real terms.

It is some time since I've had a good study of a firm's financial performance and it reminds me of the times we've done more detailed and through business planning with clients. With PSS around the corner I anticipate this too will return to my working life once again.

Yesterday I teed up a story about the LSC's latest gaff.

If you go here you can download a PDF version of the public information leaflet "CDS services at the Police Station and in Court". So far so good.

If you've done that and you are viewing on your monitor, as I initially did, what, you are probably wondering is the problem?

Clients of ours had hard copies of this leaflet on display in their reception. Had? Yes had - until they noticed that the solicitor featured in the main picture had a file cover clearly displaying the name of one of their main local competitors!

So is this what Preferred Supplier means then?

I shocked my wife last might with a story about the LSC. You must bear in mind that having lived with me for the entire period of my interaction with them this makes her somewhat unshockable. Consequently she is blase about massively wrong initial CCA categorisations and things like this. Indeed I was quite shocked myself that she was indeed so er, shocked.

The cause of this? Well if you can't wait until tomorrow ring me however I have promised to embargo the story until then. I do have to say in the age of Peer Review it is a howler of truly "failure in performance" dimensions.

Today should have involved a return to the Top 10% Club with a face to face meeting between us and the LSC. They however are double booked so I'm all back in front of the PC with a specialist fraud panel application to produce.

Yesterdays hearing ended with what might be a sensible compromise and an adjournment so more of that too later.

I'm also going to have another think about making the CDS 6 and CMRF Wizards on-line capable this afternoon. Watch this space.

We are back after the break, and a relaxing and extended one at that. Wishing a legal aid practitioners both a happy and prosperous new year always runs the risk sharp and sarky response nonetheless here's hoping.

I don't make resolutions at this time of year however here are three the LSC seem intent upon implementing which will have major impact on firms this year;

Peer Review
Preferred Supplier
The Carter Review

Make your own decisions to get moving in response.

This is the 100th post to this blog.

The feedback received to date has been positive and of course we now put a short diluted version in Independent Lawyer once a month.

Do people find it useful, interesting, of value? Does anyone have any thoughts on improvements?

Let us know.

More joined up government.

I once ate out with a client who ended up paying ?600 rather than ?60 pounds due to an error with the credit card machine. They spotted it before we left and put it right.

Something similar happened to a client firm last week. They were told they were nearly ?40k in deficit on their contract and as we know reconciling these by next March is currently an important corporate target. An hour later we whittled this down to less than ?10k.

Make sure you check the numbers before agreeing to a reduction in SMP.

For the third time since August the office broadband has crashed. I feel slightly strange saying this but the resultant break in contact with the rest of cyberspace is like the loss of one of your senses.

Apologies to those waiting for e-mail replies, a phone call or snail mail is most likely to elicit a response at present.

If you are considering your own office situation you will not hear us recommend BT - we are currently switching to NTL.

Somewhat unsurprisingly we return to Peer Review although in a somewhat more positive vein. As promised we have now amended our standard File Review forms to assist in PR preparation. We have amended the "substantive review" element of the various forms to incorporate the relevant PR criteria. This means we have 3 file review pro-formas available:

CDS Crime
Crown Court Crime
Civil (called CLS on the form)

These are available free from the office by phone or e-mail request.

Saw Paul Weller warm up the Newcastle Ice Rink last night - very good too!!

This put me in mind of solicitor musicians of whom I know a few. In fact I am due to see "Rocky Defence and the Mitigations" in the next couple of weeks though I'm a little worried that the name might be better than the music.

Anyone know a better name for a lawyer based group?

Day on the sick today so nothing of substance I'm afraid. I am slightly cheered by another CCA result turning a Cat 3 into a Cat 1 however.

I was interviewed yesterday by an academic involved in a research project on Legal Aid regulation. It proved a fascinating hour and a half.

Of most interest was that she has independently arrived at our conclusion that this is the last generation of "craft lawyers". This is a theme we have (over)stated for some time to juxtapose the delivery of legal advice to the need actively to manage franchising and contractual matters.

Of course the advent of Peer Review alters this balance creating the need for "craft lawyering" to be evident from case files. It doesn't however remove the need to focus upon the regulatory requirements. Indeed if this weeks evidence, from someone engaged in an appeal against a PR result, is anything to go by it is franchise style file management issues (or a file beauty contest as he called it) which will make the main difference between competent and competent plus gradation.

I am on my first full office day in quite some time consequently there is quite a backlog of correspondence. It contains quite an interesting mix too:

A notification of a Liaison visit which looks much more like a control audit.

A successful Internal Review result (If you are going to do one talk to us).

More top 10% Club members.

A perverse Cost Committee result

and a bounced cheque

I also spotted an interesting article on page 6 of Focus on CDS 18 concerning prior authorities.

Busy Monday ahead.

Been away all week, and in hotels with no easy internet access (I must get the laptop set up to do this, currently don't understand "wireless LAN" etc. myself) hence lack of activity here.

Training engagements took me to Southampton and Cardiff and it was London yesterday for a CRB/CAC hearing regarding extrapolation and general findings.

There are no startling things to report just pretty much the usual frustrations about the constant pressure on legal aid practitioners. It strikes me how easily this could be characterised as merely whinging however the ubiquitous nature of peoples concerns persuades me otherwise. Having covered most of the country now its hard not to ignore the unanimity of providers concerns.

Normal service should be resumed next week including, hopefully, a result on yesterdays hearing.

I've had two conversations over the last week with solicitors leaving the profession, primarily out of frustration with what being a legal aid practitioner now entails. One is off to the bar the other to some other undisclosed project. The latter thanked me after yesterdays course as he felt it had "vindicated his decision". I know I often joke about the attractiveness of plumbing and chip shops as a viable economic alternative to publicly funded law but this is slightly unnerving.

I rarely discuss my work with friends. It is hard enough to give a basic explanation of being "a specialist consultant who works entirely with the publicly funded branch of the legal profession, assisting them to deal with the increasingly difficult regulatory framework". It's harder still to discuss what you've just been doing (see yesterdays post for example) if it first involves an introduction to bill preparation, cost drafting and taxation before getting to the point. It is also frankly, quite dull to the layman (though why they think I should be interested in the goings on at Hartlepool College of FE is also quite beyond me).

Despite this I found myself discussing the Barristers strike with two teachers and a GP last night. They were incredulous at the rates of pay on offer believing the widely held myths about fat cat lawyers. Having all of us suffered some domestic emergency recently, plumbing, cars, blocked drains etc. they were astounded that the basic preparation rates on Criminal and Civil contract work are around or less than 50 quid an hour. That is, less than can be charged by a recently qualified student with a vocational qualification in one of the trades.

In case you are wondering we have decided to establish a Miners strike style support committee for the Bar. We anticipate regular and successful street bucket collections but are struggling for an equivalent "Coal not Dole" slogan. "Brief not Grief" is our best stab at it so far.

In the 9 year existence of JRS today is the first time I've been subject to "Corporate Hospitality" (rather than the very common everyday generosity of clients). I'm off a few miles up the road to watch the Seve Cup (a golf match for those not in the know).

An exciting two days of Cost Committee hearings Monday and Tuesday next week might reduce posting here - hopefully there will be some good news to bring back shortly.

PS. Training tour places still available.

Today just a quick reminder that you can link to you firm?s website in the side bar simply by sending its details to us. In time we hope this may become a useful way of finding, and attracting, agents in far-flung places.

Send a short pen portrait too and we will put that up here.

More on the top 10% topic tomorrow as experiences gather pace.

Last week I got to meet, with clients, a four strong team from the LSC (both local and national). The subtext, as you've probably guessed, is dissatisfaction with the firm's statistically judged performance. There is of course implicit criticism of the firm's overall professionalism involved in this.

As the LSC depart they leave the weighty bundle of billing data on which their concerns are based. This however, it transpires, turns out to be the billing data of one of their major local competitors (who in return have received our clients sensitive financial data).

Any thoughts on an appropriate contract sanction would be gratefully received.

Away for another training day and so much happens.

First we win a "2 strikes and your out" Internal Review of a Termination Notice. A very interesting determination indeed.

Second we get our hands, by chance, on some very interesting average cost information. It should be invaluable if you are currently arguing over average costs with the LSC. (We've had more reports of this it must be a national intitiative).

Finally we are very heartened by this. Knowing some of the people involved it seems an excellent result all round.

A little discretion is needed regarding all the above however for more info on 1 & 2 get in touch.

This is not a political blog however we felt compelled to demonstrate some solidarity with those affected by last weeks events in London. We came across this image with a request from its creator to post it to web sites today. We include it here as a mark of respect from all at JRS.

Peter Thubron & Co., a specialist CDS supplier from Sunderland joins the links box. That makes it 1 each in the Tyne Wear derby. Will it be a Mag or a Mackem who scores next?

Two new names on the Firms Links bar.

Freer Bouskell we have known for years, we helped them through the franchise process sometime ago. They are a general practice in the centre of Leicester.

Halliday and Reeves are specialist Immigration providers in Gateshead and regular attendees of our training events.

If you want your firm linked and a quick name check just send us your details.

Our friends at Kirkpatricks in Cambridgeshire are the first firm to avail themselves of the "law firm links" sidebar on the site. Once there a single click takes a reader of this blog direct to your website. In part this might become a useful resource when seeking agency cover for a distant hearing. If nothing else it helps expand your web presence.

This invitation is open to all -- simply send your web address using our e-mail address in the contacts box, don't use the invite at the top of the bar, (setup glitch). We will also post a short welcome note when you join up.

If you've not come across this type of site before it is a weblog (or blog as they are more commonly known). This is the latest JRS venture and one we hope it will become a valuable resource and a "favourite" you visit as a matter of routine.

The primary aim is to allow us regularly to communicate our experience of working with legal aid practitioners. We come across a story most days which is likely to be of interest to someone out there. We would like this communication to be reciprocal and the site to be a place where information is exchanged.

Those of you who know us will also be aware are not without opinions regarding the publicly funded scheme. We hope that this will become a forum where lively debate of current issues takes place. Join in -- either via the comments box or by submitting an article of your own to "post". The comments boxes are open to all.

Add the address to your favourites or bookmarks and get involved.