Mounting speculation on social media that the government may be about to abandon two-tier contracting for criminal legal aid lawyers led the Criminal Law Solicitors Association to issue a statement this week. Posting on the CLSA website, Zoe Gascoyne, CLSA president, said the Ministry of Justice have confirmed to her that they have not made a decision to stop two-tier and expect to roll it out in areas not subject to litigation in April. A judicial review brought by the Fair Crime Contracts Alliance is due to begin on 7 April, and a separate hearing into more than 100 procurement challenges is due to begin on 3 May.
21 January 2016
Two-tier or not two-tier
MOVERS & SHAKERS
NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group
From mowing lawns to life at the Bar: Stephen Ward reflects on an unconventional career
Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore
Commercial property partner joins Clarke Willmott in Southampton
Ellisons—Robert Tiffen
Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office
NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners
Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
