Policy
29 February, 2008
Law Society survey finds major opposition to BVT for criminal legal aid
67% 'strongly against' the proposals
An online survey, carried out by the Law Society, of 361 legal aid practitioners on the Legal Services Commission's (LSC) plans to introduce best value tendering (BVT) for criminal legal aid, reveals that 67% of solicitors are coming out 'strongly against' the proposals.
Other findings of the survey were that:
- 85% of respondents would not bid for the contracts again when they came up for renewal if they failed first time around;
- 56% of the firms undertook civil legal aid work; and
- 74% of those firms believed there would be an adverse impact on that work if they were unsuccessful with the criminal bids.
Commenting on these findings, Richard Miller, Law Society legal aid manager said -
'The figures reveal the potential knock-on impact on civil and family supply from a lack of criminal legal aid work because the cost for firms of maintaining their legal aid systems for the civil work alone would be too great.
In its current form, the BVT proposals clearly risk thinning the availability of legal aid across the board when legal aid provision is already stretched. These consequences must be taken fully into consideration.'
For more information see the Law Society press release Legal aid: Society reveals opposition to BVT.
See also the related rightsnet policy news stories -
- The future of Very High Cost Criminal Cases: Contracts accepted by only 130 barristers (5 February, 2008)
- LSC announce next steps in legal aid reform programme: Best Value Tendering offers the 'best way forward' (10 December, 2007)
- LSC criminal contract changes delayed until January 2008: But civil fixed fees go ahead as planned (3 October, 2007)
- Government faces double challenge over legal aid reforms: Law Society, CRE and ethnic minority law firms go to the high court (9 July, 2007)
