The LAA continues to use peer review, conducted by independent lawyers under the auspices of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, as its measure of legal quality. A new cohort of peer reviewers has been recruited and the LAA has gradually been releasing ‘Improving Your Quality’ guides to help practitioners, which are available on its website.
There are five possible ratings;
- Excellence
- Competence plus
- Threshold competence
- Below competence
- Failure in performance
Face to face contracts require practices to achieve at least threshold competence.
Crime, Family and Housing guides have been available for some time. Immigration/asylum and mental health guides have been added more recently. This initiative is to be welcomed but it is a shame the guides themselves are not of a consistent standard. At only 14 pages the immigration/asylum guide has little specific detail. Guides to the other areas of law range from 38 pages (mental health) to 76 pages (family). Whilst the content of the immigration/asylum guide is useful as far as it goes, it is a shame that it lacks the depth that makes some of the others more helpful.
Legal Aid Handbook 