Barristers have snubbed a second opportunity to join the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) very high-cost criminal cases (VHCC) panel, with only 110 barristers out of the 2,300 to be offered contracts signing up to the panel.

Legal aid practitioners were offered a revised contract after a consultation between the MoJ and Legal Services Commission (LSC) following the poor take-up of the original deal, which was sent out in January and aimed to reduce fees for major criminal cases.

However, only 110 barristers have committed themselves to the second contract – a drop from the 130 who signed up under the original terms. While the contract proved unpopular among barristers, virtually all of the 330 law firms that applied for panel spots signed up to the deal.

The new contract includes a provision allowing panel solicitors to instruct non-panel barristers at negotiable fees, although the maximum rates available will match those on the VHCC contract.

The new contracts come into effect at the end of the month (April 24) and last until July 2009, targeting reductions in fees of around 10%.

The VHCC contract offers QCs a rate of £476 for each day spent in court. Top junior barristers will receive £390 and a junior acting alone will be paid £285 per day. For preparatory work, silks will earn £91-£145 an hour.

Although the number of barristers signing up decreased, solicitor-advocates increased their representation from 26 in January to 93.

LSC director of high-cost case contracting David Keegan said: "The LSC expects that barristers who did not sign contracts will nonetheless regard the opportunity of taking on individual contracts for work totalling £50m as very worthwhile."

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