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Lamentable though the Legal Aid Agency's performance undoubtedly is (and in this respect little has changed since we gave up legal aid work 20 years ago when a two year wait to be paid was not uncommon) this report suggests that only some of the blame for this particular debacle can be laid at someone else's door.

The report states that some £400, 000 is expected to be realised when outstanding legal aid and HSE work is finally billed but the firm's unsecured creditors are owed more than £1 million. Even if , simplistically, the one is set against the other that still leaves them £600,000 adrift.

Solicitors should not need accountants to tell them that they are trading insolvently for heavens sake. It reflects very badly on the profession to which the public are entitled to look for competence and sound advice.