SYSTEM FAILURE

The Legal Services Commission (LSC) bagged a technology award at the Civil Service Awards 2007 for its online system in the same week as the system collapsed, causing chaos in solicitors’ firms, the Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association (CLSA) claims. The CLSA says solicitors were forced to submit their online payment claims after 7pm because the system could not cope, until it was suspended indefinitely on 19 November, causing wasted man hours and stress to firms countrywide. The CLSA has written to the LSC requesting a full explanation and seeking compensation for its members. CLSA chairman Joy Merriam says: “Perhaps IT projects should be given awards after they have been proven to work in future.”