Oliver Gardner of Howards Solicitors and CLSA Committee Member reports on the latest developments in criminal legal aid. On the 1st July 2015 the majority of solicitors undertaking publicly funded criminal defence work decided to stop accepting new instructions (Protocol 1) in protest at the Government’s decision to again reduce the rates payable. I could…
Refugee Crisis, Dead Babies And All You Do Is Make Excuses! It has long frustrated that me that “our” response to the current and ongoing refugee crisis has been not only lacking but wholly unsympathetic. I have been hesitant to cast assumptions about our collective conscience preferring to conclude that factors such as the daily…
Oliver Gardner, Criminal Lawyer at Howards Solicitors in Manchester is interviewed by Sam Walker on BBC Radio Manchester on 30/06/2015. The interview is about the strike action by criminal defence lawyers in relation to the cuts in legal aid fees. Howards Solicitors have offices in Manchester & Macclesfield and specialise in Criminal Defence, Road Traffic…
Oliver Gardner Of Howards Solicitors Manchester Explains The Issues Surrounding Referral Fees In The Legal Sector It strikes me that there are a number of issues: Firstly, there is the straight forward simple payment of what we all recognise as a referral fee: It is a payment, usually but not limited to, in monetary form…
A Unique Perspective On Criminal Law, by Oliver Gardner of Howards Solicitors A file I picked up today to review inspired me to write this blog. It is a file relating to a man accused of a crime to which at the very first court hearing in October last year he pleaded guilty. Notwithstanding the…
