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28 May 2007 / Richard Miller
Issue: 7279 / Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus , Profession
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Two cheers on three issues

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The LSC has shown a willingness to listen in key areas affecting legal aid provision, says Richard Miller

At a time when the Legal Services Commission (LSC) is under intense fire, it deserves credit where it shows a willingness to listen and respond constructively to criticism. In three areas recently, the LSC has taken decisions that will benefit clients and firms alike.

SPECIALIST SUPPORT SAVED

Last year, the LSC unexpectedly announced that it was terminating the Specialist Support Service. This service enabled front-line advisers to phone an expert in social welfare law fields if they had a client with a problem that went beyond their capabilities. The specialist could assist the front-line adviser by explaining the law and guiding the adviser through the case; or if necessary, the specialist could take over the matter. In addition, the specialists were funded to provide training to enable more advisers to identify and advise on social welfare law problems. This was widely regarded as a valuable service, particularly to help address the growing problem

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Cripps—Radius Law

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Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

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Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

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Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
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Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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