SIF case must wait until May

SOLICITOR Michael Dalton's long-awaited day in the High Court is hanging in the balance as the Law Society claims one day is insufficient time to hear the case.

The Portsmouth lawyer, who is seeking a judicial review of his Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) bill, could now go to the High Court in April or May instead of 24 March.

David McNeill, head of press at the Law Society, says: "Looking at all the evidence, one day would never have been sufficient."

A spokesman at 4-5 Gray's Inn Square, which is representing Dalton (pictured left), confirms it has received a suggestion from Law Society solicitors that the date be cancelled and a four-day hearing set for the future. "We are taking instruction to see what is acceptable," he says.

There is a possibility that other anti-SIF campaigners, the November Meeting Group and the Millennium Law Group, may join Dalton at the hearing. The increased time limit would give both groups time to prepare.