Administration of Justice Act 1985

Part III E+W Legal Aid

Legal aid complaintsE+W

40 Legal aid complaints: preliminary.E+W

(1)For the purposes of this Part of this Act a legal aid complaint is a complaint relating to the conduct of a barrister or solicitor in connection with [F1the provision for any person of services [F2under arrangements made for the purposes of Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012] including, in the case of a solicitor, provision for any person of such services in the capacity of agent for that person’s solicitor.]

(2)In this Part—

• “legally assisted person” means a person to whom aid is ordered to be given under section 28 of the M1Legal Aid Act 1974;

• “the Senate” means the Senate of the Inns of Court and the Bar; and

• “Senate Disciplinary Tribunal” means any committee of the Senate which in accordance with the regulations of the Senate is to be known as a Disciplinary Tribunal.

(3)In the Legal Aid Act 1974, sections 12(3) to (5) and 38(2) to (6) (which are superseded by this Part) shall cease to have effect.

[F341 Application to legal aid complaints against barristers of disciplinary provisions.E+W

(1)The disciplinary provisions applicable to barristers shall apply to legal aid complaints relating to the conduct of barristers as they apply to other complaints about their conduct.

(2)Subject to any exclusion or restriction made by those provisions [F4and despite section 157 of the Legal Services Act 2007 (approved regulators not to make provision for redress)], any disciplinary tribunal which hears a legal aid complaint relating to the conduct of a barrister may, if it thinks fit and whether or not it makes any other order, order that any fees [F5otherwise payable by the [F6Lord Chancellor] in connection with services provided [F7by the barrister under arrangements made for the purposes of Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012]]] shall be reduced or cancelled.

(3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F8

(4)An appeal shall lie in the case of an order under subsection (2) above in the same manner as an appeal would lie in the case of any other order of such a tribunal.

(5)The reference in subsection (2) above to a disciplinary tribunal is a reference to a tribunal acting under the disciplinary provisions applicable to barristers and it includes a reference to a member exercising any functions of the tribunal delegated to him.

[F942 Exclusion of barristers from legal aid work.E+W

(1)Subject to any exclusion or restriction made by the disciplinary provisions applicable to barristers, where a disciplinary tribunal hears a charge of professional misconduct or breach of professional standards against a barrister, it may order that he shall be excluded from [F10criminal legal aid work]] , either temporarily or for a specified period, if it determines that there is good reason for the exclusion arising out of—

(a)his conduct in connection with any such services as are mentioned in section 40(1), or

(b)his professional conduct generally.

(2)Subsection (4) of section 41 shall apply to an order under subsection (1) as it applies to an order under subsection (2) of that section.

(3)The disciplinary provisions applicable to barristers shall include provision enabling a barrister who has been excluded from [F11criminal legal aid work] under this section to apply for an order terminating his exclusion F12. . .

(4)In this section—

(a)the reference to a disciplinary tribunal shall be construed in accordance with section 41(5); F13. . .

(b). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[F14(5)In this section “criminal legal aid work” means the provision under arrangements made for the purposes of Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 of—

(a)advice or assistance described in section 13 or 15 of that Act, or

(b)representation for the purposes of criminal proceedings.]

43 Jurisdiction and powers of Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in relation to complaints against solicitors.E+W

(1)The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine any legal aid complaint relating to the conduct of a solicitor and made to the Tribunal under this section by or on behalf of the Law Society.

(2)In the following provisions of the M2Solicitors Act 1974, namely—

(a)subsections [F15(9) to](11) of section 46 (procedure of Tribunal); and

(b)section 47(2) (powers of Tribunal),

any reference to a complaint or to a complaint made to the Tribunal under that Act shall be construed as including a reference to a legal aid complaint or to a legal aid complaint made to the Tribunal under this section.

(3)On the hearing of a legal aid complaint against a solicitor the Tribunal may, if it thinks fit and whether or not it makes any other order on the hearing, order that [F16any costs otherwise payable by the [F17Lord Chancellor] in connection with services provided by the solicitor [F18under arrangements made for the purposes of Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012]] shall be reduced or cancelled.

[F19(3A)Nothing in section 157 of the Legal Services Act 2007 (approved regulators not to make provision for redress) prevents an order being made under subsection (3).]

(4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F20

[F21(5)An appeal under section 49 of the Solicitors Act 1974 against an order of the Tribunal under subsection (3) lies only at the instance of the solicitor with respect to whom the legal aid complaint was made.]

(6)In this section “costs” includes fees, charges, disbursements, expenses and remuneration.

44 Exclusion of solicitor from legal aid work.E+W

(1)Section 47 of the Solicitors Act 1974 (jurisdiction and powers of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal) shall be amended as follows.

(2)In subsection (2), after paragraph (b) there shall be inserted—

“(bb)in the circumstances referred to in subsection (2A), the exclusion of that solicitor from legal aid work (either permanently or for a specified period);”.

(3)After that subsection there shall be inserted—

“(2A)An order of the Tribunal may make provision for the exclusion of a solicitor from legal aid work as mentioned in subsection (2)(bb) where the Tribunal determines that there is good reason for doing so arising out of—

[F22(a)his conduct, including conduct in the capacity of agent for another solicitor, in connection with the provision for any person of services under the Legal Aid Act 1988; or

(b)his professional conduct generally.]

(2B)Where the Tribunal makes any such order as is referred to in subsection (2A) in the case of a solicitor who is a member of a firm of solicitors, the Tribunal may, if it thinks fit, order that any other person who is for the time being a member of the firm shall be excluded (either permanently or for a specified period) from legal aid work.

(2C)The Tribunal shall not make an order under subsection (2B) excluding any person from legal aid work unless an opportunity is given to him to show cause why the order should not be made.

(2D)Any person excluded from legal aid work by an order under this section may make an application to the Tribunal for an order terminating his exclusion from such work.”.

(4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F23

Advice and assistanceE+W

45. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F24E+W

Legal aid in criminal proceedingsE+W

46. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F25E+W