Liverpool law firm wins prisoner advice deal

LIVERPOOL-based law firm Canter, Levin and Berg has won a new contract from the Legal Services Commission (LSC) to provide legal representation to prisoners on a nationwide basis.

The contract has been awarded for the maximum term of three years, although there is also scope to extend it by a further two years. The contract was awarded following a shake-up of the system by the Legal Services Commission in July last year.

Canter, Levin and Berg has been providing prison law advice for more than 10 years. Following the deal, it will continue to provide support on various issues including:- parole hearings, adjudications, re-categorisation, transfers, court of appeal cases, confiscations and proceeds of crime act hearings, among others.

Senior associate solicitor, Darren Jones, said: “Our experience, knowledge and dedication to supporting the rights of prisoners in the UK enabled us to put forward a robust submission to the LSC.

“It is a sensitive area that must be controlled carefully and the introduction of the contract by the LSC will ensure that firms who provide prison law services are required to meet very high standards.”

Canter, Levin and Berg firm currently employs 15 partners and more than 170 staff from its three offices in Liverpool, St Helens and Kirkby.