Ed

Do you remember the road traffic prosecution client I defended - successfully - the CPS withdrew the charges because I found serious holes in the prosecution case that they didn't want publicised in court.

When the CPS drop cases you can claim your costs (well not all, the government isn't that generous). It used to be that you sent your file to the Mags Court clerk. That system changed a few months back and now you send the file to the 'National Taxing Team' for the area - in this case, Manchester. So I did this immediately to avoid delay in payment.

The nice people at the NTT - they are genuinely helpful but severely overworked as the government has devised a system which as ever is underfunded, under-resourced and which simply doesn't work - have at last sent me an acknowledgement saying that they hope to have dealt with the case within the next three months. Oh great, so with a good wind and a lot of luck I might get paid at the end of March for work I did in September.

This is a national disgrace. It was the CPS that cocked it all up, the prosecution should never have been brought with the evidential weaknesses that it had. And yet I have to fund all this work in progress. My bill was about £1,000, and I know from previous experience that I will be lucky to get £500 from them, which means I'll have to chase my client for the rest.

This is one of the reasons why I don't do much crime.

Those of you who are employed - how would you like it if your employer said to you that they will pay you for this month next June? That is what this fantastic government expects me to accept.