London Criminal Courts Solicitors' Association (LCCSA)

Thank you to Edward Elwyn Jones for all his hard work over the past year as LCCSA President. Congratulations to Casey Lee J. on being appointed the new LCCSA President. Thank you to our wonderful guest speaker Kaly ( Kalyani ) Kaul KC for speaking so honestly and openly at our AGM. And congratulations Kerry Hudson on being awarded an Honorary Life Member of the LCCSA.

Please see the attached letter from firm owners sent to the Justice Secretary Ministry of Justice UK https://lnkd.in/guU7MUa6

Warm words, a lack of transparency and empty assurances. Delay, delay, delay with no concrete timeline for action... We can no longer ask firms to hold on in the hope of action from government that may never come. Duty solicitors haven't received a meaningful pay increase for over 25 years. But, they remain on call day and night, to make sure that everyone can access their right to free legal support. Earlier this year, we took the previous government to court because they were ignoring their own independent review, which demanded a bare minimum 15% pay increase for duty solicitors, simply to keep our justice system afloat. We won that dispute, and soon after, a new government was elected. It's been almost 100 days since the new government came into office, and they too have failed to give duty solicitors this pay increase. The new government has also failed to publish its response to a consultation on police station and youth court fees which would see a small rise in legal aid rates for defence solicitors. And, it has chosen to ask firms to bid for 10-year criminal legal aid contracts within a very short deadline, despite the uncertainty caused by the failure to do both the above. We have gone beyond a system that is based on goodwill, and now it is at the limits of financial viability. We recommend firms examine the viability of each type of criminal legal aid work they undertake to decide if they should scale back or withdraw altogether until there is meaningful action by the new government. You can read our full statement here: https://ow.ly/GTt650TFQPa

Congratulations to Richard Atkinson

Another really enjoyable weekend with colleagues and friends at the LCCSA European Conference in Porto. Thank you to 5 St Andrew's Hill for their generous sponsorship and educational contribution.

Andrew Bird KC, Rebecca Thomas & James Fletcher kicking off our seminars at the London Criminal Courts Solicitors' Association (LCCSA) European Conference in beautiful Porto. Discussing all things POCA including Account Freezing Orders and Crypto updates. #proceedsofcrime #LCCSA2024 #crypto

Please find attached a letter from the LCCSA in relation to the recent Crime Contract Tender for 2025. #legal #MP #law https://lnkd.in/etgbknQG

The London Advocate The new edition of The London Advocate is now out – Issue 105 Autumn 2024 https://lnkd.in/e2z8ZHiJ Should anyone wish to contribute to future issues then please contact us on admin@lccsa.org.uk.

Are you on the duty solicitor scheme for Wood Green or Brixton Police Station? If so we are offering you the opportunity to attend two FREE expert-led training events on how to best represent children in the police station. You can register here Representing Children in Police Custody Tickets, Sat, Sep 14, 2024 at 9:30 AM | Eventbrite Topics covered will include: The legal welfare and safeguarding duties of the police Child detention: legal guidance and strategies for avoidance Police interviews: client consultations and techniques for managing interviews Child Criminal Exploitation: red flags and next steps Identifying and calling out racism and adultification Neurodiversity and trauma Out of Court Disposals, pursuing diversion and the local context. The two training sessions will take place on Saturday 14th September (9.30am – 4pm) and Monday 16th September (5pm – 8pm) at Hodge Jones & Allen (180 North Gower Street, London, England NW1 2NB). You must attend both training sessions. Lunch/refreshments will be provided. The training will be delivered by leading youth justice lawyers from Just for Kids Law, the Youth Justice Legal Centre and the Youth Practitioners Association in collaboration with child psychotherapists. ChiRP (Child first training & Research Pilot) is supported by MOPAC and the Metropolitan police in partnership London Boroughs of Ealing, Haringey and Lambeth. All custody sergeants from Wood Green and Brixton police stations will also be receiving training, and their academic partners will be at the police stations to evaluate the impact of this approach over the coming months. The SRA | Good practice guide for youth court solicitors | Solicitors Regulation Authority states “A good youth court solicitor will maintain their competence by keeping their knowledge and skills up to date and applying them effectively in these areas: Knowledge and skills, Awareness of background and needs, Communication and Engagement.” They also require solicitors representing children in the criminal courts to undertake regular learning and development so their skills and knowledge remain up to date. All solicitors need to make an annual declaration to the SRA that they have done this. Please note that they can currently only accept registrations for ONE legal representative per firm. If there are more representatives from your firm would like to attend, please email info@yjlc.uk and their names will be added to a waiting list. Please register by 10th September https://lnkd.in/e6mwst_A

Please find a message received from HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) re CVP and VHS:- We are writing to you to inform you about an important update to the technology supporting Cloud Video Platform (CVP) and the Video Hearings Service (VHS). The update will mean that you need to check, and may need to change, its firewall settings. Please find attached to this message a letter from our remote hearings team which contains important information about some technical updates to the Cloud Video Platform and the Video Hearings Service. Please pass this letter to your IT team who will be able to make the necessary changes that will ensure you can and your colleagues can continue to attend remote hearings without experiencing any delay or disruption. If you have any questions about this letter Sue Bolton will be able to provide advice. Sue can be contacted at sue.bolton@justice.gov.uk. https://lnkd.in/e4X3dDWa