Can I cover a colleague's duty solicitor slots?
I’m a criminal duty solicitor. A colleague who is also a duty solicitor is on sick leave and I’ve been asked to cover her slots. Is this allowed?
Yes. Duty slots belong to your firm and not the duty solicitor.
It’s up to your firm to decide to whom the slots are allocated.
Your firm must make sure that the slots are covered, and they can use any duty solicitor or an accredited representative from an agency.
The obligations of a duty solicitor are set out in section 6 of the Legal Aid Agency’s Crime Contract Specification.
Disclaimer
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this article, it does not constitute legal advice and cannot be relied upon as such. The Law Society does not accept any responsibility for liabilities arising as a result of reliance upon the information given.
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