Comments on: Legal Aid: You thought it was all over, it is now http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2006/10/01/legal-aid-you-thought-it-was-all-over-it-is-now/ A barrister gossips & rants on intellectual property law, the legal system and civil liberties. Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:42:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Ruthie http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2006/10/01/legal-aid-you-thought-it-was-all-over-it-is-now/#comment-255 Ruthie Sat, 04 Nov 2006 19:31:30 +0000 http://blog.geeklawyer.org/?p=84#comment-255 Darren: I have some sympathy with your comment. There were always a few rotton apples in the barrel who spoilt it for the majority. What used to irritate Ruthie about legal aid work is that you were effectively rewarded for your efficiency at working the system rather than on the quality of the legal advice you provided to clients and client satisfaction. One of the good aspects of the new system is the introduction of a peer review system i.e. files will be audited by another lawyer rather than a clerk who who has little or no understanding of the legal issues. If its any consolation Ruthie's experience is the the number of genuine lawyers trying to provide a decent service vastly outweighed the number trying to shaft the system. If your primary objective is to make money in law, you generally wouldn't undertake legal aid work at all as there is much easier money to be made elsewhere Darren: I have some sympathy with your comment. There were always a few rotton apples in the barrel who spoilt it for the majority. What used to irritate Ruthie about legal aid work is that you were effectively rewarded for your efficiency at working the system rather than on the quality of the legal advice you provided to clients and client satisfaction. One of the good aspects of the new system is the introduction of a peer review system i.e. files will be audited by another lawyer rather than a clerk who who has little or no understanding of the legal issues.

If its any consolation Ruthie’s experience is the the number of genuine lawyers trying to provide a decent service vastly outweighed the number trying to shaft the system. If your primary objective is to make money in law, you generally wouldn’t undertake legal aid work at all as there is much easier money to be made elsewhere

]]> By: darren fletcher http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2006/10/01/legal-aid-you-thought-it-was-all-over-it-is-now/#comment-254 darren fletcher Mon, 30 Oct 2006 16:34:26 +0000 http://blog.geeklawyer.org/?p=84#comment-254 so in the last 10 years you do not know of anyone who has been charged with defrauding the legal aid fund with the exception of lawyers. It is also lawyers who are complaining that there is not enough money available to them? hmm I wonder if all the money defrauded by these "wonderful" lawyers who are doing such a public service was still in the system would we the whole legal aid system be in a better position, i think so. the problem is individual greed by small groups or individual lawyers who try to drain the legal aid fund not necessarily defrauding the system but claiming for work which is not necessary and which they would not get away with if they were dealing with a privately paying client. Its time that the lawyers woke up to their responsibility for keeping legal aid costs down and not falling into the practice of trying to maximise the amount that can be claimed from legal aid with each case they take on. so in the last 10 years you do not know of anyone who has been charged with defrauding the legal aid fund with the exception of lawyers. It is also lawyers who are complaining that there is not enough money available to them? hmm I wonder if all the money defrauded by these “wonderful” lawyers who are doing such a public service was still in the system would we the whole legal aid system be in a better position, i think so. the problem is individual greed by small groups or individual lawyers who try to drain the legal aid fund not necessarily defrauding the system but claiming for work which is not necessary and which they would not get away with if they were dealing with a privately paying client. Its time that the lawyers woke up to their responsibility for keeping legal aid costs down and not falling into the practice of trying to maximise the amount that can be claimed from legal aid with each case they take on.

]]> By: Ruthie http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2006/10/01/legal-aid-you-thought-it-was-all-over-it-is-now/#comment-252 Ruthie Mon, 02 Oct 2006 11:55:55 +0000 http://blog.geeklawyer.org/?p=84#comment-252 Yes, and once all decent criminal lawyers go off and do something more profitable the system will collapse and it will take years to get it up to a decent standard again. No-one doubt the government was mindful of this situation when they recently considered the introduction of on the spot fines as an alternative to court for relatively serious criminal offences. So the message is: make sure whatever crime you commit is lucrative. In ten years of practice however Ruthie has never known anyone prosecuted (apart from lawyers, ironically) for defrauding the legal aid fund. Yes, and once all decent criminal lawyers go off and do something more profitable the system will collapse and it will take years to get it up to a decent standard again.

No-one doubt the government was mindful of this situation when they recently considered the introduction of on the spot fines as an alternative to court for relatively serious criminal offences. So the message is: make sure whatever crime you commit is lucrative.

In ten years of practice however Ruthie has never known anyone prosecuted (apart from lawyers, ironically) for defrauding the legal aid fund.

]]> By: Liadnan http://blog.geeklawyer.org/2006/10/01/legal-aid-you-thought-it-was-all-over-it-is-now/#comment-253 Liadnan Sun, 01 Oct 2006 21:09:49 +0000 http://blog.geeklawyer.org/?p=84#comment-253 Slightly out of touch with all this but the last time I read anything about it there seemed to be a serious risk of there being no firms in the south east outside London taking on criminal legal aid at all. Slightly out of touch with all this but the last time I read anything about it there seemed to be a serious risk of there being no firms in the south east outside London taking on criminal legal aid at all.

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