The Government today (28 November) published its timetable for controversial plans to reform the UK’s ailing legal aid system, with the introduction of competitive tendering brought forward a year to 2008.

In a report entitled ‘Legal Aid Reform: The Way Ahead’, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) underlines its support for the introduction of competitive tendering proposed last year by Lord Carter, with fixed fees for certain types of work set to be phased in from next year.