Click to download a copy Open letter to Government Ministry Of Justice, 102 Petty France, London, SE1H 9AJ 5 August 2024 Dear Sirs RE: RESPONSE TO PUBLIC DISORDER Like the rest of the country the CLSA membership and CLSA committee are horrified and deeply concerned...
News Archive
Guidance on the use of Voluntary Interviews
Following a number of meetings, not involving the CLSA, a working group has come up with guidance on the use of Voluntary Interviews that has the support of the NPCC and College of Policing. We have been asked to make members aware of this and it can be accessed here
Early Dawn
When Operation Early Dawn was instigated at short notice many Criminal Defence Solicitors were concerned that if a client, charged at the police station and refused bail, could not be brought before the next sitting of the Magistrates Court then continued detention...
MoJ implements Operation Early Dawn – Mags Court impacted from tomorrow
URGENT CLSA RELEASE -14/05/2024 We have been informed this evening that the Lord Chancellor is triggering an emergency measure, Operation Early Dawn, to deal with the worsening problem of the prison population. Details are somewhat lacking but it appears to be an...
In Pursuit of Justice: Why I Chose Criminal Law
In a series of blogs we are speaking to our CLSA membership and asking them why they chose to qualify into Criminal Law…. Was it a passion from an early age, something inspired by events in their life, or a complete accident? Jessica Dent, a Criminal Defence Solicitor...
Miscellaneous amendments sentencing guidelines come into effect on 1 April 2024
Miscellaneous amendments coming into effect On 1 April 2024, changes made to a number of sentencing guidelines in response to the Council’s 2023 Miscellaneous amendments consultation will come into effect. The amendments, which apply to both magistrates’ court and...
Improvements to the PET and BCM forms in Common Platform
Following feedback from defence practitioners, HMCTS has improved the digitised Preparation for Effective Trial (PET) and Better Case Management (BCM) forms on Common Platform. They’re making changes in 2 releases. The first set of improvements went live Monday 18...
Miscellaneous amendments to sentencing guidelines – response to consultation
The Sentencing Council has published details of amendments it will be making to a number of sentencing guidelines following consultation. The changes apply to guidelines in both magistrates’ courts and the Crown Court and will come into force on 1 April 2024. The...
Consultation on proposed guidelines for aggravated vehicle taking and other motoring offences
The Sentencing Council is consulting on six new and revised sentencing guidelines for motoring offences in England and Wales. The draft guidelines cover offences committed by people driving vehicles without the owner’s consent, vehicle registration fraud and driver...
Crime Lower Common Billing Errors – LAA February 2024
Click here to read the document To be paid in full for your work under the Standard Crime Contract, the Legal Aid Agency requires that you follow contractual requirements and the Remuneration Regulations in relation to the accuracy of costs claimed. The purpose of...
The CLSA and the LCCSA welcome High Court’s Landmark Judgment on Legal Aid Funding
The Criminal Law Solicitors‘ Association and the London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association welcome the High Court’s landmark judgment on Legal Aid funding and urge the Government to implement the full financial recommendation in the Bellamy review without delay...
CLSA PRESS RELEASE – LOWER CRIME CONSULTATION
The government have today published a consultation on Lower Crime Legal Aid Rates below. https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/crime-lower-consultation/ We will be considering the content and replying in detail in due course. We cautiously welcome...
Local Criminal Justice Board: Call for Evidence – Legal Sector
Dear legal community The Ministry of Justice has launched a Call for Evidence on Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs) on 8 January 2024. Local Criminal Justice System (CJS) partners are crucial to driving improvements across the system, and this Call for Evidence...
‘Degrading and demoralising’: High Court hears evidence from criminal legal aid solicitors
The Law Society Gazette By Monidipa Fouzder 14 December 2023
The hearing of R (The Law Society) v the Lord Chancellor begins today in front of the High Court.
The Law Society are challenging the decisions of the Lord Chancellor not to implement the recommendations of the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review in full. The Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review was a government commissioned review into the state of the...
Law Society and CLSA win on all points at interim JR hearing
On 28th November the High Court held an interim hearing of the JR brought by the Law Society, with the CLSA as an interested party, against the failure to implement the Bellamy recommendations in full. At the hearing the Judge made it clear that he wanted to keep the...
Law Society wins disclosure application before judicial review challenge
The Law Society Gazette By Bianca Castro - 29th November 2023 https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/law-society-wins-disclosure-bid-before-legal-aid-challenge/5118051.article
Nascent Visual Biometrics in Police Intelligence and Criminal Evidence – Impacts on Reliability and Fairness
I am a PhD (Law) student at Northumbria University, and as part of my PhD research I am gathering the opinions of criminal solicitors throughout England and Wales on new types of evidence we are beginning to see in Magistrate courts. These opinions are collected in...
CLSA opposes SRA regulation of CILEX
CLSA response to Arrangements for SRA regulations of CILEX members Consultation
Letter from Nick Goodwin CEO to WICL 14 Nov 2023
Letter from Nick Goodwin CEO to WICL 14 Nov 2023