The Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSD) recouped more than £38 million in legal fees from government departments and other agencies in 2003/4, a 23% jump on the previous 12 months, its annual report has revealed.

The report, released last week, also showed that the 33 law firms on the government 'L-Cat' panels were instructed in 268 matters with an estimated value of £5.2 million.


Wheldon: ‘significant progress’
The TSD acts for a wide variety of government departments and other public bodies. The report said it had attracted new clients such as the Assets Recovery Agency and the Security Industry Authority, while 'the range of requests from existing clients has also increased'.


The report said it expected the upward trend in business that it has experienced in the past few years (fees recouped rose 15% in 2002/3) to continue over the next year 'as a result of the implementation of the government's legislative programme and the increase in the litigiousness of society as a whole'.



The TSD's main work is litigation, with a separate dedicated employment and commercial contracts group. It also has five advisory divisions, three of which are located within departments - the Treasury, Education and Skills, and Culture, Media and Sport - and handles bona vacantia cases.



It claims to have one of the top litigation practices in the country, with more than 170 lawyers dealing with around 10,000 cases a year.


Overall, the TSD's accounts recorded a deficit of £1.7 million, down from £3.7 in 2002/3. This was put down in the main to non-chargeable work, and the fall came despite staff numbers rising sharply from 528 to 605.


The report said the L-Cat arrangement, which provides access to law firms with expertise the TSD or other government lawyers do not have, was working well, offering 'real value for money and efficiency savings'.


The Treasury Solicitor, Dame Juliet Wheldon, said the TSD had made 'significant progress' in developing three major strands of work as part of its modernisation programme - client care, casework and investing in people.


Dame Juliet was paid in a band between £145,000 and £150,000 in 2003/4, compared to between £140,000 and £145,000 the year before