Fraud firms agree not to break barrister boycott

Some of the biggest criminal law firms have agreed not to let their solicitor advocates take-over work on very high cost cases (VHCCs) rejected by barristers next month in protest at the impending 30 per cent cut in fees.

The move was agreed at a meeting in Manchester earlier this week of the North West Fraud Forum, which includes firms such as Tuckers, Burton Copeland, Hill Dickinson, Irwin Mitchell and Ralli Solicitors.

Tom Handley, director of Exchange Chambers in Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester, chaired the meeting.

"The Lord Chancellor seems intent on rushing these fee cuts through without considering the impact," Handley said.

"Not a single barrister from our criminal team will be continuing with, or taking on, very high cost cases if the 30 per cent fee cuts go ahead in November.

"To have the support of so many influential solicitors strengthens our resolve. This is not about 'fat cat' barristers earning hundreds of thousands of pounds from legal aid. It is about the Lord Chancellor destroying the best justice system in the world and thousands of livelihoods at the same time.

"Chris Grayling has already performed a U-turn over his plans to deprive defendants of the opportunity to choose a solicitor. It is now time for him to do the same on VHCC. The criminal justice system will grind to a halt if he doesn't."

In a separate development, a new website has been set up to monitor how many criminal law firms and chambers sign up to the "no work" pledge being circulated by the London Criminal Courts Solicitors' Association.

According to criminallawyersunited.com, which has the slogan 'united we stand', the number of law firms which have signed the pledge stands at 407.

It is not clear who operates the site, hosted by Webfusion. An email sent to the site's administrator was not returned.