Uncooperative lawyers humbug legal aid programme – report
The Social Development Department's Annual Report of 2011, which was laid in the House of Assembly on December 17, 2012 by Minister for Health and Social Development Ronnie W. Skelton, stated that some law firms, despite having committed to the involvement in the scheme, refuse to accept matters assigned to them by the Registrar in the manner authorised by the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
There was no mention in the report of which lawyers or law firms refused assigned cases for legal aid assistance or whether these refusals were accompanied by any form of justification.
The Department’s report stated that there were forty-five applications for Legal Aid Services for the year under review; this signified a minimal increase of two persons from the previous year. Thirty-seven of the applications came from males while a mere eight were from females.
Additionally, of the 30 approved cases for legal aid in 2011, a total of twenty-one were for non-nationals with the remaining nine being Virgin Islanders.
The report further noted that the clerk continues to experience constant challenges with receiving fees from the assigned firms in a suitable manner as is required for processing of payments.
The Department’s 2011 Annual Report also noted that the fee structure outlined under the MOU is often manipulated by assigned firms and as a result, the submitted cost is often outside the parameters of what is allowable.
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
Follow Us On
8 Responses to “Uncooperative lawyers humbug legal aid programme – report ”