Criminal barristers are facing severe delays in the payment of legal aid fees by the Legal Services Commission (LSC), after the body took over responsibility for payments from Her Majesty’s Courts Service earlier this year.
The LSC, the government body which handles the administration of legal aid, took charge of barristers’ fees this April, and a number of barristers have since reported delays of up to four months for legal aid payments – a significant increase from the previously accepted timescale of 28 days.
