LPC Law & J E Baring & Co Solicitors

The request was partially successful.

by:Theresa:Stirling UCC1-207

Dear Maidstone Borough Council,

Under the FOIA supply all information relating to on how many occasions charging orders and bankruptcy orders instigated by J E Baring & Co Solicitors on behalf of Maidstone Borough Council, where J E Baring & Co Solicitors have themselves gone onto commission outside agents from LPC Law to carry out reserved legal work instead of J E Baring & Co Solicitors staff.
a) the date the council first instructed J E Baring & Co and the date the council first instructed LPC Law, either directly or indirectly.
b) supply a break down of all individual hearing dates and include the name of the court in which the hearing was held and all costs paid to J E Baring & Co Solicitors for each case. (separate into separate hearings i.e. charging order or bankruptcy)
c) if this firm of solicitors or their agents LPC Law have ever acted in any other hearing also name and list those hearings.
d) supply all sums paid directly to LPC Law by the council or paid via your agents J E Baring & Co Solicitors whilst acting as agents on behalf of the council and provide a break down of these payments.
e) supply the date and the position and name of the officers who instructed J E Baring & Co Solicitors and the date this position became vacant if no longer employed by the council.
f) confirm if any employee’s of LPC Law are or have been employed by the council.
g) if on any occasion the council has been made aware that unqualified persons have been instructed either by the council or the councils agents in this case J E Baring & Co Solicitors to carry on a reserved legal activity including in the form of the exercise of a right of audience within the courts.
The council are reminded that it is now a criminal offence to carry on a reserved legal activity (including an activity in the form of the exercise of a right of audience); see sections 14 to 17 of the Legal Services Act 2007.

Yours faithfully,

by:Theresa:Stirling UCC1-207

by:Theresa:Stirling UCC1-207 left an annotation ()

jobbery, n. (1837) The practice or act of perverting a public service in a way that serves private ends; unfair means to serve private interests.

Elizabeth Roach, Maidstone Borough Council

1 Attachment

Date 9 April 2013
My Ref FOIreq/SMG/er

 

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST

 

Thank you for your request for information about charging and bankruptcy
orders.  Your request was received on 5 April 2013 and I am dealing with
it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.  I intend to
deal with your request by 3 May 2013.

 

[In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, I
will let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you, and you will be
required to pay before we will proceed to deal with your request.]

 

Your request will be subject to any exemption which the Council is
entitled to apply to refuse your request.  Some of these are absolute
exemptions, and some only apply where the public interest in refusing to
supply the information outweighs that in disclosing the information.

 

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me.  Please
remember to quote the reference above in any future communications.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Stephen McGinnes

Head of Revenues & Benefits Partnership

t  01622 602310

e [1][email address]

 

 

 

Dear Maidstone Borough Council,

Under the FOIA supply all information relating to on how many
occasions charging orders and bankruptcy orders instigated by J E
Baring & Co Solicitors on behalf of Maidstone Borough Council,
where J E Baring & Co Solicitors have themselves gone onto
commission outside agents from LPC Law to carry out reserved legal
work instead of J E Baring & Co Solicitors staff.
a) the date the council first instructed J E Baring & Co and the
date the council first instructed LPC Law, either directly or
indirectly.
b) supply a break down of all individual hearing dates and include
the name of the court in which the hearing was held and all costs
paid to J E Baring & Co Solicitors for each case. (separate into
separate hearings i.e. charging order or bankruptcy)
c) if this firm of solicitors or their agents LPC Law have ever
acted in any other hearing also name and list those hearings.
d) supply all sums paid directly to LPC Law by the council or paid
via your agents J E Baring & Co Solicitors whilst acting as agents
on behalf of the council and provide a break down of these
payments.
e) supply the date and the position and name of the officers who
instructed J E Baring & Co Solicitors and the date this position
became vacant if no longer employed by the council.
f) confirm if any employee’s of LPC Law are or have been employed
by the council.
g) if on any occasion the council has been made aware that
unqualified persons have been instructed either by the council or
the councils agents in this case J E Baring & Co Solicitors to
carry on a reserved legal activity including in the form of the
exercise of a right of audience within the courts.
The council are reminded that it is now a criminal offence to carry
on a reserved legal activity (including an activity in the form of
the exercise of a right of audience); see sections 14 to 17 of the
Legal Services Act 2007.

Yours faithfully,

by:Theresa:Stirling UCC1-207

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show quoted sections

Rachael Price, Maidstone Borough Council

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Stirling,

 

Please find below the information you requested under the freedom of
information act.

 

a)the date the council first instructed J E Baring & Co and the
date the council first instructed LPC Law, either directly or
indirectly.

The council first instructed J E Baring and Co on 1 August 2011

The council has not directly instructed LPC Law and has no information
relation to a date J E Baring and Co instructed them
b) supply a break down of all individual hearing dates and include
the name of the court in which the hearing was held and all costs
paid to J E Baring & Co Solicitors for each case. (separate into
separate hearings i.e. charging order or bankruptcy)  

Maidstone County Court – all charging orders, no bankruptcy

21.11.2011

13.12.2011

31.01.2012

12.02.2012

22.11.2012

20.12.2012

16.01.2013

28.01.2013

 

We believe this is commercially sensitive under Section 43 of the Act, but
the total cost to J E Baring and Co is £6320.00

c) if this firm of solicitors or their agents LPC Law have ever
acted in any other hearing also name and list those hearings.

We have no record they acted in any other hearing

d) supply all sums paid directly to LPC Law by the council or paid
via your agents J E Baring & Co Solicitors whilst acting as agents
on behalf of the council and provide a break down of these
payments.

The council has not paid LPC Law directly and does not have any
information regarding any transactions JE Baring and Co have paid

e) supply the date and the position and name of the officers who
instructed J E Baring & Co Solicitors and the date this position
became vacant if no longer employed by the council.

Mrs S Coburn, Revenues Manager

f) confirm if any employee’s of LPC Law are or have been employed
by the council.

No information held, but we do not believe so

g) if on any occasion the council has been made aware that
unqualified persons have been instructed either by the council or
the councils agents in this case J E Baring & Co Solicitors to
carry on a reserved legal activity including in the form of the
exercise of a right of audience within the courts.

Not been aware of any occasion

 

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision,
you should write to Mr Paul Fisher, Head of Legal Services, Maidstone
Borough Council, Maidstone House, King Street, Maidstone, Kent ME15 6JQ,
explaining your reasons for complaining or requesting a review.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.  Generally, the
ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints
procedure provided by the Council.  The Information Commissioner can be
contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Stephen McGinnes

Head of Revenues & Benefits Partnership

Mid Kent Revenues and Benefits Partnership

t 01622 602310

e [1][email address]

 

 

[2]cid:image001.jpg@01CC6D5C.F86FD840

 

Our Reception is located at the Maidstone Gateway, King Street, Maidstone, Kent ME15 6JQ

http://www.maidstone.gov.uk

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