Not content with having to cope with all the changes to legal aid that came in on 1 October, the Court Service had to add the double whammy of changing the rules for applying for exemptions from court fees.


No longer is receipt of Legal Help sufficient. Unless the client is on one of a limited number of benefits, a new EX160 needs to be fully completed and sent to the court with original documents (not certified copies) to prove receipt of all income. No advance notice was received - apparently even by the court staff who have to cope with the new procedure - and, as a consequence, a number of applications that were sent out last week have all been returned.



We also have to spend precious time explaining to clients that the procedure which was in existence when their divorce petition was issued no longer applies. To add to the difficulty of the situation, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) will not allow us to claim the disbursement if the client only gets partial remission.



Do the people who think up these 'brilliant' ideas give any thought to the implications of these changes for those of us at the sharp end? Also, some joined-up thinking between the Court Service and the LSC would not go amiss.



Deborah Feltham, Gwyn James, Cinderford, Gloucestershire