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 Effective 14/01/2008 - INFORMATION UPDATE Litigator Graduated Fee Scheme (LGFS) (18 December, 2007) |
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Effective 14/01/2008 - INFORMATION UPDATE – Litigator Graduated Fee Scheme (LGFS)
There have been many changes in LSC related billing in 2007 and it is expected that this will continue into 2008. The latest changes involve the Litigator Graduated Fee Scheme (LGFS) has recently been announced.
The regulations governing the LGFS will come into effect on the 14th January 2008. The LGFS is designed to simplify the existing claims process for solicitors undertaking Crown Court work (excluding Very High Cost Cases), by providing a single and clear payment scheme. The LGFS, therefore, is intended to reward solicitors based on their efficiency.
As a graduated fee, the LGFS is calculated according to a formula that predicts the complexity and costs of a case. This information is gathered according to certain proxies that best represent the details of each case. These proxies are based on relevant information gathered according to: the nature of the case and the offence; the length of the trial; the pages of prosecution evidence.
Furthermore, the resources required for each case will also have a bearing on the LGFS calculation. For example, the LGFS will calculate uplift depending on the number of defendants represented by a firm for each case, increasing the payment by a percentage of the whole fee where more than one defendant is required.
The LGFS also includes fixed fees for certain hearings arising out of other Crown Court proceedings, including: Contempt proceedings; alleged breaches of Crown Court orders; committals for sentence; and appeals against sentence and conviction from the Magistrates’ Court. These fixed fee rates will be outlined when the regulations governing the LGFS are published.
An online system, the Crown Court Litigator Fee (CCLF), has also been created to enable solicitors undertaking Crown Court work to claim for the new LGFS fees. This system will only be available until the fixed fee regulations are introduced.
DPS have already introduced all necessary amendments to their case management software to cope with the demands that changes will make. This update will be available for all registered clients to download from the DPS web site from the 3rd of January 2008.
DPS have been producing legal case management systems for Crime and criminal billing since 1990 and have a vast amount of experience in this field. Scott Ridley, the DPS technical director has been a member of the LSC Committee for software technology since it was formed and advises firms in their IT strategy related to the contract work.
More information can be obtained from info@dpssoftware.co.uk or www.dpssoftware.co.uk
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