The Law Society has noted that the contract offers were sent out only on 26 November, and therefore did not arrive at solicitors' offices until the week of 29 November. The offers had to be accepted by 15 December less than three weeks after receipt and the contract had to be accepted before there could be a review, even if the offer was somehow flawed or was otherwise unacceptable. Had contract holders sought a review, they would have had to start work under their contract before knowing their final position. The final structure and make-up of the contracting scheme will not become clear for some time. The Law Society reports that the Legal Aid Board has so far let only 50 per cent.
Much work has yet to be allocated to contract holders or to new entrants to the scheme.
As the Law Society has said, unacceptable uncertainty has been created. An under-supply of quality practitioners has been a problem for several years. The Law Society has noted that many of the firms willing to take contracts in that important area of the law have received offers for significantly less work than they currently do. That cannot be in the interests of our constituents. Substantial concerns remain about whether the Government are rushing the measure through at the behest of the Treasury and whether they would have been wiser to have allowed longer time limits and taken more care to allow all those who could offer quality assistance to do so.