News
Duncan Lewis, SJ Law and MB Law form consortium (21 April 2015)
Date: 21/04/2015
Criminal defence legal specialists Duncan Lewis, SJ Law and MB Law have announced their intention to form a consortium to bid in partnership for nationwide Duty Provider, Legal Aid Crime Contracts.
Duncan Lewis, the UK’s largest provider of specialist legal aid services is to partner with East London’s largest criminal defence law firm SJ Law and leading West London criminal defence law firm MB Law to collaborate as a consortium in the current bid and tender process for the Duty Provider Crime Contracts nationwide.
These three law firms all currently defend individuals arrested by the police & other law enforcement agencies for offences involving general crime or those of a much more serious nature including complex financial fraud, organised criminal activity related to acts of terrorism & human trafficking, violent and sexual crimes as well as representing clients named in confiscation & extradition proceedings.
Jason Bruce, Practice Director of Duncan Lewis was quoted as saying:
“We are delighted to be bringing the talents and experience of Duncan Lewis, SJ Law and MB Law together in our bids, which in turn, will ensure that clients are serviced in the best possible way. With the recent criminal legal aid cuts of 8.75% to be soon supplemented by a further cut of 8.75%, it is vital that there are strategic partnerships in place among reputable law firms to ensure the long term delivery of a cost effective criminal defence legal service; access to justice for clients nationwide requires this”.
Managing Partner of SJ Law, Vijesh Saujani:
“A key motivating factor for this collaboration is to ensure that members of the public continue to have access to some of the very talented professionals in the industry. Providing an opportunity for committed lawyers to work with companies with a proven track record (and over 40 years’ experience), will hopefully prevent talent from leaving the industry, as a result of their firms or themselves not bidding for a contract. All three firms are determined to secure a long term future in the provision of the highest quality criminal defence legal aid services and continue to be the UK’s largest provider of specialist Legal Aid Services and are looking forward to working with each other.
Sudhanshu Sharma, Managing Director of MB Law states:
“Across our three law firms we plan to have a combined team of over 200 CLAS Crime Duty Solicitors across the consortium to provide effective criminal defence services throughout the country. Clients across the UK requiring specialist legal assistance in criminal law and a number of other areas of law will now be able to take advantage of the multiple specialist legal disciplines that each law firm offers”.
Duncan Lewis, SJ Law and MB Law continue to be in discussions with further providers.