Law Society Laments Government Input in Solicitor Matters

Tue, 13 Apr 2010

The Law Society has called for less government input into the Criminal Justice System, claiming changes are insufficiently thought through. President of the Law Society, Robert Heslett, claimed that the changes had seen a rise in ‘wasteful practices’, describing the government’s input into the changes as ‘initiative overload’. Instead, Mr Heslett suggested that there should be greater input from the legal profession, enabling solicitors, lawyers and barristers to operate more efficiently.

The proposed Criminal Justice Practitioner Review Board would have the power to review all ideas for changes and reform of the criminal justice process prior to the plans being submitted for public consultation. The Board would be comprised of experienced judges, magistrates and prosecutors, as well as several solicitor and barrister members with the necessary experience.

By making the process more efficient, it is hoped that the legal system could be sped up, perhaps enabling a reduction in legal fees from law firms . The Government has already abandoned controversial plans to limit success fees payable to No Win No Fee lawyers in libel cases, in a sign that it may be heeded the advice of the Law Society.
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