Judgment on legal aid for duty solicitors reserved

The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment on a challenge to the government’s criminal legal aid tendering process for duty solicitors brought by the Law Society, the Criminal Law Solicitors Association (CLSA) and the London Criminal Courts Solicitors Association (LCCSA). Law Society President Andrew Caplen says:  “We believe that government proposed cuts in the number of contracts for solicitor firms covering criminal legal aid is unsustainable and could leave some parts of the country without solicitors to provide essential services.” The judgment is expected before Easter.