Chairman’s Message – 24.07.15
Chairman’s Message
Yesterday representatives of the CLSA, the LCCSA and the Big Firms Group met the Lord Chancellor.
There was no question of the CBA deliberately staying away from the meeting, or being snubbed. Before the meeting the leadership of the LCCSA, CLSA and BFG had friendly and cooperative discussions with the CBA. This was a meeting arranged at the request of the solicitors and to which the CBA was not invited.
The purpose of the meeting was to enable the solicitors’ organisations to discuss their concerns with the LC in the manner they saw fit.
On Wednesday evening, before the meeting, every member of the CBA Executive, received a document entitled “protocol v9″ HERE and a joint statement from the Solicitors’ organisations. The document and its appendices have been widely circulated.
The CBA has had no input into the protocol. It provides for solicitors resuming applications for representation orders in a very large number of cases. This marks a major change of position by our solicitor colleagues, and appears to alter fundamentally the basis upon which our members voted to support solicitors’ action.
Hence, the Executive Committee will reconvene for an emergency meeting on Monday 27 July, to consider the effect of the new situation. Meanwhile, everyone is reminded that the decision whether to take or continue action in support of the solicitors remains a matter of individual choice. I shall of course keep each of you informed of developments.