Government proposals to cut the cost of complex fraud cases have resulted in a stand-off between barristers and the Legal Services Commission. Reduced fees could mean the quality of representation in complex fraud cases will plummet, as law firms and barristers desert the practice. Jon Robins reports
There can be few things about the law more likely to dangerously raise the collective blood pressure of the great British public than press reports of millions of public money being squandered. Consider, for example, the alleged fraud relating to the London Underground Jubilee line extension (£60m of public money spent on a 21-month court case that collapsed) or HM Revenue & Customs’ (HMRC’s) failed prosecution of a gang alleged to have swindled £107m in a VAT scam involving imported mobile phones (another £65m). These are just two recent examples of the 1% of fraud cases that swallow up a massive 50% of the legal aid budget.
