The specialist panel for high-cost fraud work, launched last year to guarantee quality control on complex fraud cases, has swollen to nearly 150 member firms, sparking new fears that inexperienced solicitors are being allowed on the panel.
The Legal Services Commission (LSC) this week confirmed that the panel now has 147 solicitor firms eligible to do legal aid-funded defence work on very high cost cases (VHCC), defined as a case that is likely to cost more than £100,000 or take longer than 25 days in court.
