The Bar Council's consultation on the handling of fee-sharing under the new legal aid proposals closes on 9 February. Barristers' opinions were sought for just two weeks from 27 January, on topics ranging from the agreement of standard terms with instructing solicitors to the resolution of disputes.

The new system, which will be governed by The Criminal Defence Service (Funding) Order 2007, is set to come into force on 30 April, a date the Bar Council says it is 'determined' to hold the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) to.

"While a lot of effort has gone into getting the draft protocol right, I am still keen to ensure that practitioners in the front line and their chambers administration teams have an opportunity to pore over the detail, which is why we are issuing this for consultation," said Tim Dutton QC, vice chairman of the Bar Council.