Consultation launched about legal aid accounts assessment

We are seeking the views of the profession and others in a consultation launched today about how we assess accounts submitted by solicitors and advocates.

The consultation is the start of a process that will see us more clearly stating our policies and guidance for those preparing accounts and those assessing those accounts.

This process has also seen us reviewing our approach to assessment and, where we think change is necessary and possible within the current statutory framework, we are consulting on our proposals.

What are we consulting on?

We want your views on a range of positive changes we intend to make to several travel related accounts policies, as well as to language interpreting and translation charges.

Our intention is to bring greater consistency across those aid types where we can apply discretion and align travel rates with legal aid and external benchmarks. The changes are to:

• Outlays related to travel and associated expenses
• Travel to court
• Overnight travel

We also want to hear your views about the overarching accounts assessment policy, and the more detailed policies which we are not proposing to change at this stage.

The consultation is part of our work on the Guidance on the Administration of Legal Aid project.

We are seeking views on the way ahead we’ve identified for changes to our policy and their benefits and disadvantages. We are also seeking views on how we assess accounts at the moment and what guidance would be most beneficial for those submitting accounts to us.

In particular, we are keen to find out what you can tell us about possible impacts for applicants’ equality groups.

Consultation document and how to respond

Please download the consultation document for full details and for information on how to respond.

The consultation closes at 5pm on 4 November 2021.

If you have any questions about the consultation, please contact Steven Carrie: carriest@slab.org.uk