Advice and assistance reforms

Criminal advice and assistance reforms - key points

This page provides you with the essential information about the changes

• Summary of changes

  • The new green AA/APP/CRIM form must be used for all criminal advice and assistance/ ABWOR intimations from 1 st May 2007.

   

  • There are not equivalent changes to criminal advice and assistance/ ABWOR as are being made to civil advice and assistance. For criminal advice and assistance/ABWOR, there are no changes to the initial limits of authorised expenditure, no new types of advice and assistance, and the minimum fee remains.

   

  • No change yet to criminal increases but there will be in May - We will not issue until later in May the new increase form: Application for increase in authorised expenditure for criminal advice and assistance / ABWOR – form AA/INC/CRIM. Until you receive the new criminal increase form, you should continue to use the existing increase form AA/INC for criminal increases only. We will advise you when we send you the new increase forms when you should stop using the existing increase form.

   

  Key points to remember

  • Legal Aid Online offers you a quicker and easier way of doing advice and assistance work rather than paper. If you are interested in using Legal Aid Online please visit our website www.slab.org.uk or contact us on 0131 240 2013.

   

  • You cannot use pdf forms, photocopies or your own versions of our forms from 1 May 2007. You must use the new AA/APP/CRIM - Application for criminal advice and assistance/ ABWOR form only, or use Legal Aid Online.

   

  • When filling out the new form, please use black ink only and when completing the single white boxes, write in capitals. Use the check boxes and write within the white boxes/space only.

   

  • Do not send covering letters with the application form unless you require to tell us something that cannot be written on the form.

   

  • Financial verification : It is still your responsibility to be satisfied on financial eligibility. You should see documentary evidence of your client’s financial circumstances such as a wage slip or a bank statement. You need to include details of this verification on the AA/APP/CRIM form and keep a copy of evidence seen on file.

   

  • Income support, income based job seeker’s allowance, or disregarded benefit payments should not be included as income in Section G of the form.

   

  • All our guidance on criminal advice and assistance is available online

   

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