Civil news: hints and tips to help advocates navigate CCMS
Understanding 'actions and notifications' about bills and payments when using the Client and Cost Management System (CCMS).
Actions and notifications are key to the billing and payment processes in the Client and Cost Management System (CCMS). So it is important that you understand how they work.
We have pulled together some hints and tips about receiving and searching for notifications.
These are based on feedback from people using CCMS and can be found below.
More detailed guidance will follow in the next few weeks. This will be publicised on GOV.UK.
Hints and tips 1 – receiving notifications
Notifications are received by CCMS users in chambers to:
- confirm an advocate has been assigned to a case
- confirm that the costs assigned have been amended
- request evidence to support a bill
- confirm the outcome once a bill has been processed
- provide remittance advice
Advocates using CCMS will have a direct account with us but notifications will be sent to the ‘CCMS Chambers Administrator’ when:
- an advocate has been assigned to a case
- the cost limit is changed
- we are advising you about a payment
If we need to send a request for evidence to support a bill or payment on account then we will contact the person who submitted the bill through CCMS.
You can find out more about ‘actions and notifications’ in the ‘Quick Guides’ by using the links below.
Hints and tips 2 – searching for notifications
The CCMS home page will only display actions and notifications assigned to you. It will not show the actions and notifications sent to other users or chambers as a whole.
If you need to look at these other notifications then you need to use the CCMS system’s ‘refine search’ feature. This is available in the ‘actions and notifications’ section of the system.
Keep an eye on e-alerts from the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) about CCMS as well as our pages on GOV.UK for future guidance updates.
Further information
CCMS training and quick guides – to download:
- ‘Guide to Chambers and Counsel Access’
- ‘Introduction to CCMS for Chambers Users’
CCMS.team@legalaid.gsi.gov.uk – to email questions about actions and notifications which are not answered in the quick guides
GOV.UK – LAA content – see top right link to news directory
Sign up for LAA bulletins – to receive bulletin e-alerts