The criminal law practice at Harrogate-based McCormicks has won a contract with the Legal Aid Agency to continue to supply services for both its own clients and those that need assistance of the duty solicitor.
Awarding of the contract followed a successful Specialist Quality Mark report. All solicitors in private practice dealing with publicly funded work have to be assessed by an external auditor.
The report stated that the McCormicks criminal law practice monitored financial position closely, completed file reviews face-to-face, and that all files reviewed were in “good order and easy to follow”.
It said: “All the feedback forms provided by clients show very positive responses, which is a credit to the firm and shows that the firm is delivering a good standard of service to clients.”
All firms that carry out legal aid work must also have their cases assessed by their peers, a process known as peer review. McCormicks gained one of the highest marks, underlining the quality of the work.
Peter Minnikin (pictured), partner and head of the crime and fraud department at McCormicks, said: “The comments are a testimonial to the hard work and dedication of my colleagues. We think it is incredibly important to continue with this type of work that supports people at some of the most difficult times of their lives. The recent independent reports show that we continue to deal with this work to a very high standard.”
