More Lawyers Face Legal Aid Suspension

More Lawyers Face Legal Aid Suspension As the Law Society and LSA tightens up performance criteria

More lawyers face suspension from the legal aid roster, following last week's termiantion of three lawyers' contracts with the Legal Services Agency.

NBR 'Briefcase' columnist John Bowie reports that more lawyers are in line for suspension from providing legal aid services as both the LSA and the Law Society tighten the rules for performance.

Legal Services Agency last week cancelled the listings of Iuni Sapolu, Josie Fuimaono-Sapolu and Brett Ravelich to provide legal aid services to the agency. The three had derived legal aid payment os nearly $2 million over the past four years and two of them now face a Police investigation.

All of the lawyers who have lost their right to provide legal aid services also face enquiry by the Law Society, according to 'Briefcase' which noted that Law Society president Jonathan Temm has said there are "more to come".

“The profession has been under attack,” Jonathan Temm says in the column.

“Especially so far as litigation lawyers are concerned and especially criminal lawyers.” Mr Temm notes that the District Court, which has assumed jurisdiction for all but the most serious criminal offences. It hears 2700 criminal cases a year, including 80 per cent of the jury trials.

Read the full story here: http://www.lawfuel.co.nz/news/article.asp?NewsID=1289

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