News and communications

A further opportunity to tender for the 2024 Standard Civil Contract opened on Monday 18 March 2024.

• Updated: 18 March 2024

Innocent people who have suffered miscarriages of justice, personal harm or injury are among those who will benefit from upcoming changes to legal aid means testing coming into effect this year.

• Updated: 14 March 2024

Working with the Law Society and Association of Prison Lawyers, the LAA have amended the crime contract and associated guidance.

• Updated: 5 March 2024

Criminal legal aid solicitors working in police stations and youth courts will receive a pay increase to reflect the importance and complexity of their work, the Lord Chancellor has announced today (29 January 2024).

• Updated: 29 January 2024

Providers with identified cases will be contacted at the end of January and asked to give an update on the status of each case.

• Updated: 25 January 2024

eForms submitted more than 7 years ago will be archived to restore stability to eForms database.

• Updated: 25 January 2024

Our guidance has been updated to include information on claiming for offences not listed in the AGFS banding document or LGFS table of offences.

• Updated: 7 December 2023

We have updated our guidance to provide more detail on how to make accommodation and mileage claims for Crown Court work.

• Updated: 7 December 2023

Providers need to be aware of changes relating to immigration and asylum work which are being introduced on 1 January 2024.

• Updated: 30 November 2023

Market engagement event taking place for civil legal aid providers in the north west of England.

• Updated: 26 September 2023

We are making changes to the Client and Cost Management System (CCMS) to make it easier for providers to submit large hourly rates bills.

• Updated: 22 September 2023

Procurement process opens for delivery of civil legal aid services from 1 September 2024.

• Updated: 13 September 2023

Update on the standard monthly payment (SMP) engagement exercise.

• Updated: 8 September 2023

Bereaved families at inquests can apply to be excepted from the legal help means test using form CW1 INQ after a rule change on 4 September 2023.

• Updated: 4 September 2023

Providers and experts requesting approval for overnight accommodation costs should know that guideline rates are increasing from 1 September 2023.

• Updated: 1 September 2023

Providers need to use amended CW2(IMM) and CW1&2 MH forms which have corrected instructions for under 18 applicants.

• Updated: 1 September 2023

New criminal contract schedules beginning 1 October 2023 to be made available by the end of August.

• Updated: 23 August 2023

New tool now available for providers to check a client’s financial eligibility for civil legal aid.

• Updated: 22 August 2023

Removal of the means test for certain civil cases under the first phase of legislative changes, and other financial eligibility updates.

• Updated: 3 August 2023

Removal of financial eligibility tests for under 18s.

• Updated: 3 August 2023