Updated Peer Review Quality Guides and Criteria Sheets
Senior peer reviewers and independent peer review experts have worked with us to update guidance underpinning the peer review process.
Following a comprehensive review by category, the Peer Review Quality Guides and criteria sheets used to assess and score files have been updated across the 5 categories of law currently reviewed.
The updated criteria sheets have also been moved from the Independent Peer Review Process Document so they now sit alongside each Quality Guide on the Legal Aid Agency Audits page, making them easier to find and use.
Why this is happening now
Keeping the guides current and making the criteria sheets more accessible gives providers the best opportunity to serve clients well and achieve positive peer review ratings across all categories.
Depending on the date range of files selected for review, reviewers may need to complete 2 separate criteria sheets, so work is assessed against the standard in place at the time it was undertaken. This adds a small amount of extra work for reviewers and providers, but is the fairest way to conduct reviews.
Further information
Read more and find links to the updated material on the Legal Aid Agency Audits page.
For further information, contact the Peer Review Team by email at peer.review@justice.gov.uk.