Legal aid conference 2017
 
 Friday, 29 September 2017  
 
This agenda is subject to change
09:00 - 09:30Registration & Refreshments
09:30 - 09:40Welcome and introduction from the conference chair
Graham Matthews, President 2017-2018, Law Society of Scotland
09:40 - 10:05The current and future position
Yvonne McKenna, McKennas Law Practice
10:05 - 10:25The Scottish Government’s Perspective
Denise Swanson, Head of Access to Justice Unit, Justice Directorate, The Scottish Government
  • This presentation will be preceded by a short video from Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, Annabelle Ewing MSP
10:25 - 10:45Presentation from Scottish Legal Aid Board
Colin Lancaster, Chief Executive , Scottish Legal Aid Board
10:45 - 11:10Questions and discussion
11:10 - 11:30Refreshments and networking
11:30 - 13:00Delegates can attend either the civil or criminal stream
11:30 - 12:00Police station advice: Part 1 of the Criminal Justice Act 2016
Detective Inspector Alan Brown BA, Police Scotland		Civil legal aid developments
Mark Thorley, Thorley Stephenson
12:00 - 13:00Panel session: Criminal Justice Act
Session Chair: Ian Moir, Ian Moir & Company
Detective Inspector Alan Brown BA, Police Scotland
Inspector Stephen Tidy BA LLB, Police Scotland
Marie-Louise Fox, Director of Operations, Scottish Legal Aid Board		Panel session: Mediation - finding a mediator, supporting your client, and getting paid
Session Chair: Mark Thorley, Thorley Stephenson
Catriona Whyte, Head of Civil Legal Assistance, Scottish Legal Aid Board
Jackie McRae, SSSC registered social worker, accredited specialist in family law, McKinnon Forbes
Rosanne Cubitt, Head of Mediation , Relationships Scotland
13:00 - 14:00Lunch & networking
14:00 - 14:30Use of 'Agent to Prison Video Conferencing Scheme'
Peter Lockhart, Lockhart's Solicitors
Christine Connerton, Digital Services Marketing Officer, Scottish Legal Aid Board
  • Development of Agent/Prison Video Conference system with SLAB
  • The difference between Agent to Prison Video Conference scheme and the Court video link to Prisons.
  • What are the essentials?
  • Procedure arranging video conference
  • Pitfalls and technical difficulties
  • Positive aspects of utilising Agent to Prison Video Conferencing scheme.
  • Future and further developments
14:30 - 15:20How to get paid
Douglas Haggarty, Head of Technical Legal Services, Scottish Legal Aid Board
Judith Cemery, Manager of Accounts Assessment, Scottish Legal Aid Board
  • Overview of payment regimes
  • Common mistakes that can result in payments being abated
15:20 - 15:40Closing keynote: Observations and Insights
Jodie Blackstock, Director of Criminal Justice, JUSTICE
  • This closing keynote presentation will summarise the main issues from the day and will also offer a critique of the current legal aid situation – and how it might evolve to best serve the interests of justice.
15:40 - 16:00Questions and discussion
16:00Close