Guidance

Standard Crime Contract 2025

Contract documents for providers of criminal legal aid services, 2025

From:
Legal Aid Agency
Published
17 September 2024
Last updated
1 October 2025 — See all updates

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Standard Terms - Standard Crime Contract 2025

PDF, 645 KB, 94 pages

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Specification - Standard Crime Contract 2025

PDF, 1.07 MB, 153 pages

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Duty Solicitor Guidance - October 2025

PDF, 282 KB, 13 pages

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Welcome Pack for Previous Providers - Crime Contract 2025

PDF, 400 KB, 46 pages

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Welcome Pack for New Providers - Crime Contract 2025

PDF, 724 KB, 109 pages

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Sample Contract Schedule - Crime Contract 2025

PDF, 75.3 KB, 2 pages

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Sample Contract for Signature - Crime Contract 2025

PDF, 167 KB, 4 pages

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Category Definitions - Crime Contract 2025

PDF, 238 KB, 7 pages

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Crime Supervisor Requirements & Guidance - Crime Contract 2025

PDF, 281 KB, 16 pages

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Crime Supervisor Declaration Form

MS Word Document, 77.7 KB

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Appeals & Reviews Supervisor Declaration Form

MS Word Document, 49.2 KB

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Prison Law Supervisor Declaration Form

MS Word Document, 53.4 KB

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Police Station Register

https://www.dutysolicitors.org/ords/f?p=109:45::::::%20%20

Police Station Register Arrangements 2025

PDF, 427 KB, 26 pages

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Details

The 2025 Standard Crime Contract runs from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2035. It governs the provision of criminal legal aid services and consists of 4 documents:

  • Standard terms

  • Specification

  • Schedule

  • Contract for signature

Standard terms

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

Specification

The specification sets out the rules for carrying out publicly funded criminal defence work in England and Wales. The rates for this work can be found in the legal aid legislation.

Sample schedule

This sets out provisions specific to individual providers. Use the sample schedule for illustration as schedules vary between providers.

Sample contract for signature

The contract for signature gives effect to the 2025 Standard Crime Contract as a whole. Use the sample contract for signature for illustration as they vary between providers.

Associated contract documents

Category definitions

This sets out the legal definitions of each category of law covered by the 2025 Standard Crime Contract.

Supervisor declaration forms and guidance

These documents set out the requirements that supervisors must satisfy.

Duty solicitor guidance

This sets out how the LAA interprets the duty solicitor requirements.

Welcome pack for previous providers - Crime Contract 2025

This provides an overview of the 2025 Standard Crime Contract, and details the key changes made from previous contracts. The detail in this pack is tailored to providers who have previously held a Crime Contract.

Welcome pack for new providers - Crime Contract 2025

This provides an overview of the 2025 Standard Crime Contract 2025, and provides detailed information on the operation of the contract. The detail in this pack is tailored to providers who have never held a Crime Contract before.

Police station representatives register

This is a list of police station representatives authorised to attend a police station under police station advice and assistance.

Police station register arrangements

These arrangements set out the rules for the police station representatives register.

Further documents

Updates to this page

Published 17 September 2024
Last updated 1 October 2025 show all updates

  1. Updated to reflect the start of the 2025 Standard Crime Contract.

  2. First published.

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