Criminal solicitors oppose 'ridiculous' client screens

Criminal law specialist solicitors have expressed opposition to the introduction of secure screens between them and their clients, saying they are willing to delay proceedings in order to get their way.The arguments follow a letter sent by Nottingham Magistrates' Court to Ashish Bhatia, chairman of Nottingham Law Society's criminal law committee, complaining that lawyers' reluctance to use custody suites with screens was causing delays in court proceedings.Mr Bhatia responded: 'A screen makes us virtually impotent as solicitors and I find them a ridiculous notion.

I have never come across a violent client and to put all of them behind a barrier presumes all prisoners to be violent, drunken, drug-taking rapists.'Following Mr Bhatia's reply, the court has frozen an instruction to make all solicitors use the first available interview room.Franklin Sinclair, a partner at leading criminal firm Tuckers, said: 'It is almost impossible to conduct private conversations and get paperwork signed off through a screen, but they seem to be becoming more and more commonplace in courthouses.'Rodney Warren, chairman of the Criminal Law Solicitors Association, said screens diminish the element of trust and confidence between solicitor and client.'It seems there is little or no consultation with defence solicitors concerning the design and construction of new custody rooms and cells,' he said.Graham White, chairman of the Law Society's criminal law committee, said: 'It is not the fault of the solicitors that the court process is slowed down for this reason - it's the fault of the people who build the courthouses.'A Lord Chancellor's Department spokeswoman said there must be two types of custody rooms available - an open one for advocates to meet clients and a closed one for meetings with friends and family who may try to pass contraband.

'The solicitor can choose which room they wish to use,' she said.Andrew Towler