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Guidance

Criminal Legal Aid Manual

If your client is charged, legal aid may pay for some or all of the costs of legal representation in court. Find the specific guidance here.

Updates to this page

From:
Legal Aid Agency
Published:
1 June 2014
Last updated:
1 October 2026
Show all updates

  1. Annex I - Prescribed proceedings - updated to include Serious Crime Prevention Orders made by the Crown Court on acquittal.

  2. Annex C: Voluntary Bill of Indictment – updated to include guidance on applications for, and billing of, work in the High Court.

  3. Manual updated to reflect uprated benefit rates and include additional guidance. See page 6 for a summary of changes.

  4. Manual updated form to reflect the 2025 Standard Crime Contract.

  5. Manual updated to reflect that from 21 May, proceedings under s.44(2)(b), s.46(4) and s.46(5) of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 are in scope of criminal legal aid. State Benefits also updated with the latest rates.

  6. Manual updated to reference Advantis Credit Ltd. who took over the contract for Crown Court means testing (CCMT) debt collection and enforcement services on behalf of the Legal Aid Agency from the previous supplier Marston Holdings Ltd. with effect from 3 February 2025.

  7. Manual updated to reflect the Domestic Abuse Protection Orders and Notices pilot.

  8. Manual updated to include the new mandatory and discretionary disregards for certain compensation payments.

  9. Manual updated to reflect the transition from the CRM14 eForm to the Apply for criminal legal aid service.

  10. Manual updated to explain the process for applications for partially convicted defendants to pay a proportion of their costs. State Benefit rates have also been updated.

  11. Manual updated to reflect a change to the name and email addresses for one of our teams – Criminal Finance is now Magistrates Billing.

  12. Manual updated to include the variation, renewal, discharge and appeals of Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) as prescribed proceedings.

  13. Manual updated to include cost of living payments introduced in 2022 as disregarded income.

  14. Manual updated form to reflect the extension of the pilot being run in the Metropolitan Police District on Knife Crime Prevention Orders to 31 March 2023.

  15. Manual updated form to reflect the 2022 Standard Crime Contract.

  16. Manual updated.

  17. Manual updated to reflect the uprating of benefit rates, and to include information on the breathing space scheme.

  18. Manual updated to include electronic signatures, as well as clarification that legal aid terms do not permit third party funding of private legal services such as a QC, further information regarding applications following withdrawal, and a refresh of the prescribed proceedings annex.

  19. Manual updated to include how to get the appropriate representation order to claim the Sending Hearing Fixed Fee – See section 3.4 Dating the Representation Order.

  20. Manual updated to include Stalking Protection Orders as prescribed proceedings.

  21. Manual updated.

  22. Manual updated.

  23. Manual updated.

  24. criminal legal aid manual updated to 2018

  25. Manual updated.

  26. Manual updated.

  27. Manual updated.

  28. Updated 'Criminal Legal Aid manual' added to page.

  29. Updated 'Crime Legal Aid Manual' added to page.

  30. First published.

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Criminal Legal Aid Manual

PDF, 1.94 MB, 206 pages

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Details

Details about criminal legal aid, including eligibility, are in this Criminal Legal Aid Manual.

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