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13 April 2007
Issue: 7268 / Categories: Legal News , Legal aid focus , Profession
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Fight over unified contracts to continue

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A Law Society plan to obtain a last-minute injunction to stay introduction of the unified legal aid contract has been dropped after counsel advised there were no grounds for such an application.

The society has now pledged to continue to concentrate on its judicial review application which aims to remove the Legal Service Commission’s (LSC’s) unilateral right to amend the contract.

Although 95% of law firms and 98% of not-for-profit agencies had signed the unified legal aid contract by the extended 2 April deadline, the society insists that solicitors will continue to fight the destruction of legal aid.

In a statement it says: “It remains to be seen how the LSC will repair the immense damage to its relationships with suppliers. The LSC’s high dependency on the dedication of legal aid firms makes it imperative that it starts listening to their concerns.”
However, LSC chief executive Carolyn Regan says the high level of firms signing up for the contract means clients can be confident of continued access to civil legal aid services.

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