We have become aware of a new Point of Principle that has been made regarding the scope of emergency legal aid certificates. Often an emergency certificate will be limited to a specific hearing and the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has been disallowing any work done beyond that hearing until the issue of the substantive legal aid certificate. It has been relying upon the content of the Funding Code ...

Two representatives from the Legal Aid Agency (LAA)  attended the recent Association of Costs Lawyers (ACL) conference to give a demonstration of the on line Client and Cost Management System (CCMS). The system is currently being piloted in the North East.

 CCMS will cover applications for funding, the processing of queries, amendments, payments on account, final billing and appeals for civil representation cases. All current and future cases will be managed in this new way once it has been introduced...