Scottish Legal Aid Board Online


	Solicitors - if you're not already using Legal Aid Online, read on! During December we will be conducting research to give valuable feedback to help us in the development of our Legal Aid Online services. We have commissioned an independent research agency to carry out a short telephone survey with non-users of Legal Aid Online and one of their interviewers will be in touch shortly to ask if you would be able to participate in the research. For more information about the survey please click on the letter we'll be sending out to all solicitors who aren't currently using LAO. For more information on this research project, please contact Diane Ireland on 0131 240 2013 or email irelanddi@slab.org.uk.

	Reform of summary criminal legal assistance Implemented 30 June 2008 10 November 2008 - Part-time peer reviewers wanted for Criminal Quality Assurance Scheme 2 November 2008 - Review and monitoring of the reforms of summary criminal legal assistance - latest monthly statistics on applications and grants, and grant rates now available. Visit our special criminal reform section to read more including previous mailings.

	28 November 08 - mailing to all firms about VAT rate changes and the application of VAT on solicitors' accounts. 20 November 08 – Read a mailing to all firms about Employment and support allowance – changes to eligibility for advice and assistance and legal aid, Children’s advice and assistance – further guidance, Assessing capital in advice and assistance applications, Criminal and Civil Legal Assistance Registers, and St Andrew’s Day office closure. 5 November 2008 Sheriffs' briefing note on children's legal aid This briefing note has been sent to the Judicial Studies Group, the Sheriffs Association and Sheriff Principal Bowen on behalf of Sheriff Principals - read more 7 August 2008 Duty Plans 2009 This mailing to solicitors who do criminal legal aid work details how to apply for next year's duty plans - read more 24 July 2008 Changes to children's legal assistance A mailing to practitioners who undertake children’s legal assistance work has been issued about changes effective 1 September 2008. Read the mailing including information on new guidance and a revised children's advice and assistance accounts synopsis form. 27 June 2008 New Category Codes Card and Equality Card for use by solicitors - read more

	Legal Aid Online users login Using Legal Aid Online? find out about the criminal changes from 30 June- read more Not using Legal Aid Online? Did you know that most applications for advice and assistance/ABWOR are now submitted online? Read more about the service and find out why you should join the hundreds of solicitor firms benefiting from our online service.

	Jobs Board vacancies We currently have no vacancies in the Board. we also welcome speculative applications. PDSO vacancies We currently have no vacancies in the PDSO.

	Current tenders trade waste collection service Support consolidation (OJEU tender) External Penetration Testing Provision of Debt Recovery consultancy


	News 5 August 2008 New legal advice service benefits people across the Highlands and Islands - read the news release

	Vision To provide access to justice for those eligible and in need of it, in a cost-effective manner. Legal aid allows people who would not otherwise be able to afford it to get help for their legal problems. The Scottish Legal Aid Board was set up in 1987 to manage legal aid in Scotland. Read more about our work in the about us section.

	St Andrew's Day holiday - 1 December 2008 The Board's office will be closed on this public holiday. However, if you need to contact us urgently we have put in place the following arrangements: For authorisation for urgent increases in authorised expenditure for criminal advice and assistance or ABWOR, phone our advice and assistance Helpline on 07711 424344. For any urgent criminal sanction matters which cannot wait until Tuesday 2 December – for example defence post mortem reports – contact us on 0131 240 2194, or 0131 240 2097. For any urgent civil matters, we can be contacted on 0131 240 1890. The staff who will be on hand to deal with the urgent matters will not have access to our usual computer systems, so will not be able to deal with any routine enquiries about the progress of applications. Our Glasgow court office will be open as usual.

	Corporate plan 2008-2011 Over the next three years there will be substantial change to the justice system in Scotland. Alongside these changes, legal aid will also see significant development. First, we will work to further improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of our own functions, the operation of the legal aid system and its interaction with the rest of the justice system. Second, we want to ensure that there are sufficient providers of legal aid services to meet the needs of the public across Scotland for high quality, good value legal aid services. Read more in Corporate plan 2008-2011.

Civil or criminal legal assistance helps people to get legal advice and "representation", which means a solicitor to put their case in court. Find out more about legal assistance, if you may be eligible and how to apply.

Solicitors who provide legal assistance are registered with us. You can search to find your nearest solicitor.

For civil cases, find out how opponents have the right to object to an application for, or grant of, civil legal aid.

This section provides solicitors and advocates with the latest news and a wide range of useful legal aid resources, including:

forms
the Scottish Legal Aid Handbook
our newsletter, the Recorder
mailshots and guidance publications.

LEGAL AID HELPLINE

To find out more about legal aid and if you may qualify, or where to find a legal aid solicitor or order our leaflets you can also call our Legal Aid Helpline on 0845 122 8686. It is open 7 days a week 7am to 11pm. (Please note that we do not provide legal advice. )

Access to information
We are committed to openness. Under the new Freedom of Information laws, you can read our Publications Scheme and access materials we regularly publish - find out more.

You can use Browsealoud on this site. Browsealoud reads web pages aloud for people who find it difficult to read online - download the free service to let you listen.