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Simple of course to get a Ni No number from a client unless:
i) He was remanded into custody in which case a prison visit would be required - taking at least a few hours out of someone's working day, you will recall, for a client who has no funding as yet. Will the prison visit go ahead as planned or will the prison staff claim that the client is refusing to come out of his cell, they are short staffed, they are on strike etc etc ? If you send Counsel to deal with the hearing what are the odds that the client won't be produced? Instructed Counsel , quite reasonably will have turned up for sure and will want to be paid for going.
ii) He was bailed after the Magistrates hearing in which case he is almost certain not to communicate with his solicitors until the morning of the sentencing hearing and then there's a good chance he simply won't attend.
iii) He doesn't know his Ni No ( about 30% of the clientele) or is unwilling to provide it. Clients can be a strange bunch. Occasionally they decide that because you have asked for their Ni No you must work for the government, others go off in a sulk because all you are interested in is getting paid.

Now the attitude of the Judge is interesting. The solicitors appear to have communicated with the court courteously and requested an adjournment and then explained that they could not attend the sentencing hearing and why they could not. Why that should result in a proposed wasted costs order when the solicitors were under no obligation to attend (having no funding) appears most bizarre and a worrying precedent to set.

Mr. Balchin, if a business is forced to pay out " all of £250" for every client who passes by a firm without any funding coming in you can surely see that before long this will create a real financial problem for the firm, criminal or otherwise.

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