Free legal help 'threatened' by LSC shortcomings

Free legal help may be under threat due to the failure of the Legal Services Commission (LSC) to give proper attention when awarding contracts for publicly-funded firms, it has been ruled.

A court has upheld a complaint brought by a group of professional bodies, saying the organisation did not perform proper quality checks before deciding on contracts for solicitors working with vulnerable groups, The Lawyer reports.

Mr Justice Cranston said the shortcoming "could have a consequent impact" upon free legal help, noting in some cases, consultation had been inadequate.

The LSC group now has to revisit the firms that won contracts during the tendering process - around 120 - to ensure the quality of legal services offered is appropriate.

In a similar case, the organisation recently agreed to fund three firms offering free legal help, after the enterprises threatened to take it to court, arguing the decision to cut government subsidies was unlawful.

Published by Tessa Jones