Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates

On this page:

QAA - Discussion Paper published
Change in responsibility for delivering a scheme
Responding to the Discussion Paper

QAA - Discussion Paper published

The LSC has published a discussion paper setting out its proposed future minimum quality requirements for purchasing criminal advocacy services. The paper ‘QAA – Working with the professions to deliver a framework for better advocacy’, contains:

Proposed minimum requirements for funding future legal aid advocacy services
The results of the QAA research that has taken place over the last three years
The evaluation of the pilot research carried out by Cardiff Law School
The initial work looking at quality assurance for family and civil advocacy.

The Discussion Paper and Annexes can be found in the Documents section on the right of this page.

Change in responsibility for delivering a scheme

The LSC welcomes recent agreement that remaining development of a QAA scheme will be led by a Joint Advocacy Group (JAG) made up of the three main advocacy regulators:

Solicitors Regulation Authority for solicitors
Bar Standards Board for barristers
ILEX Professional Standards for Legal Executives.

The LSC's involvement in this work does not cease here. We, together with the Judiciary and CPS, will continue to support the JAG and feed into its work to deliver an operational scheme that will initially apply to criminal defence advocates from mid 2011.

Responding to the Discussion Paper

Responses to this paper are welcome from anyone with an interest in our views on the subject covered. We particularly value responses from practising advocates, representative groups, judges, chambers, firms, clients and consumer groups.Your feedback will be invaluable in supporting the future development work undertaken by the JAG, will help the LSC to finalise its minimum requirements and will help the LSC to influence proposals for an operational QAA scheme for the professions.

Responses to this paper should be sent in by 10 May 2010. In writing to:

QAA Team
Legal Services Commission
4 Abbey Orchard Street
London SW1P 2BS

Or by e-mail to qaa@legalservices.gov.uk

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Last updated: 15 February 2010