CDS News

The current duty solicitor rotas will end on 13 January 2010 with replacement rotas starting the next day.

Applications for the next rotas will be accepted from duty solicitors who are:

• newly qualified (or returning to work) and wish to join schemes for which their firm is eligible
• transferring to a new provider and wish to carry out duty solicitor work for that new provider when the new rotas are prepared

The second category includes both duty solicitors who are moving to work for a new firm within the same scheme and duty solicitors moving to work for a new firm in another scheme or region. 

Application deadlines

The deadline for submission of all CDS12s is 13 November 2009

Rotas based on availability for duty work

As was the case for the rotas, which started on 14 July 2009, the rota for each scheme will be determined on the basis of where:

• duty solicitors will be working
• they are available to undertake duty work, on 14 January 2010

Duty solicitors who are currently members of schemes will automatically be included on the next rotas.

This will only change if we have been notified that duty solicitors are no longer be working for their current firm on 14 January 2010. We would need to be told either by the current firm or personally by the duty solicitor.

All firms are reminded that clause A 27.17 of the Unified Contract (Crime) July 2008 requires firms notify the LSC when a duty solicitor leaves.

Duty solicitors moving firm

Where duty solicitors have moved/will move to another firm and will be working for a new firm on 14 January 2010, the new firm will be allocated slots in respect of that duty solicitor. This is subject to our having received a qualifying CDS12 by 13 November 2009.

Any qualifying applications for schemes received after 13 November 2009 will not be allocated slots on the January 2010 rota.

However, they will be added to the scheme membership lists and will become eligible for panel and/or back-up.

Postcode mapping of duty scheme boundaries

We have recently published the response to our consultation ‘Eligibility Rules for Membership of Duty Solicitor Schemes and Local Scheme Boundaries’. This is now available on our website along with maps showing the boundaries for each scheme.

However, the new system of determining scheme eligibility will not start until the new CDS Contract in July 2010.

Eligibility for the January 2010 rotas will be determined using the current system of travel times

Further information

LSC website: Boundary maps for 2010 duty solicitor scheme

For more information, please contact your regional LSC Office.