Guidance

Standard civil contract 2013

Contract documents for providers of face-to-face legal aid services in family, immigration and asylum, housing and debt.

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Contract amendments notice: 25 April 2018

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Summary of amendments to the Standard Civil Contracts (25 April 2018)

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2013 Standard Civil Contract (including Immigration Removal Centre) extension letter

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2013 Standard Civil Contract Extension Notice

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Standard Civil Contract 2013 specification: Family category specific rules (section 7) (July 2015 amendment)

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Standard Civil Contract 2013 specification: Housing and debt category specific rules (section 10) (July 2015 amendment)

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Standard Civil Contract 2013 specification: Immigration and asylum (section 8) (July 2015 amendment)

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Category definitions 2013

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Details

The standard civil contract 2013 governs the provision of face-to-face legal aid services in the family, immigration and asylum, housing and debt categories of law.

The 2013 standard civil contract consists of the:

  • contract for signature
  • standard terms
  • schedule
  • specification

Sample contract for signature

The contract for signature gives effect to the 2013 standard civil contract as a whole. Use the sample contract for signature for illustration as they vary between providers.

The summary of changes document relates to each part of the specification and contains detailed information on the amendments made to the 2010 specification to reflect the provisions of the LASPO Act.

Standard terms

The standard terms govern the commercial relationship between the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) and providers.

The standard terms 2013 are based on the standard terms 2010, with some amendments to implement the requirements of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO). The LAA has outlined these amendments in the summary of changes 2013 document.

Schedule

This sets out provisions specific to individual providers, including matter start allocations for controlled work. Use the sample schedule for illustration as schedules vary between providers.

Specification

The specification sets out the rules governing the provision of civil contract work.

The specification is divided into provisions of general application (sections 1 to 6) and category specific rules relating to the different categories of law, including family (section 7), immigration and asylum (section 8), and housing and debt (section 10).

Further documents

You can also use the following guidance and documents:

Published 1 June 2014
Last updated 25 April 2018 + show all updates
  1. Standard terms updated, contract amendment notice and summary of amendments published.

  2. 2013 Standard Civil Contract (including Immigration Removal Centre) extension letter added.

  3. Amendment notification published for 2013, 2014, & 2015 Standard Civil Contracts, plus CLA specification. Also updated Standard Civil Contracts specification: general rules 1-6.

  4. '2013 Standard Civil Contract Extension Notice' added to page.

  5. Updated to include 'Table of Amendments for Standard Civil Contracts' and 'Contract Notice Amendments to the 2013 and 2014 Standard Civil Contracts'.

  6. Contract amendment notice, standard specification and specifications for family and housing and debt added to reflect 2015 anti social behaviour amendments.

  7. First published.