Thank you for inviting me to speak here today on unity with the Bar. I am pleased to confirm as I have confirmed previously that I believe a quality criminal justice system needs an independent, strong and robust criminal Bar. However, I also believe that a quality criminal justice system needs a large and diverse…

Probation Staff & Solicitors – Joint Protests Napo, the Trade Union for Probation and Family Court staff, are still in a formal dispute over the government plans to privatise 70% of the probation service which they say will have a significant impact on public safety and public protection and on the 31.3.14 and 1.4.14 took…

Compliance with the Criminal Procedure Rules An LCCSA/CLSA Guide “Working to Rules”: looking for breaches of the Criminal Procedure Rules by the CPS and using them to your advantage. Stage 1: Are you simply demonstrating withdrawal of your goodwill or do you want costs? Withdrawal of goodwill: If legal aid has not been granted, consider…

Protocol for the 31st March and 1st April for courts and police stations. The CLSA is aware that members of the profession intend to attend a series of meetings across the country over the above two dates to consider their future and attend training. The CLSA, LCCSA LAPG and all the major practitioner groups, and…

On the 19th March 2014 the CLSA and LCCSA jointly held a National Criminal Solicitors Meeting at The Palace Hotel in Manchester. With the Government’s publication of the final response to consultation being circulated only on the 27th February, some two and a half months after the scheduled publication date, this left little time to…