Civil news: update on transfer of court assessed claims to LAA

There will now be a choice for law firms and providers of legal aid on where civil claims are assessed.

Legal aid practitioners can choose to have civil claims assessed at court or assessed by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) from 15 January 2021.

If the route of assessment by the LAA is chosen then the civil finance team would assess the claim bill.

By choosing to continue to send this work to the LAA it will remove the need for claims to go before the courts.

This will mean faster payments in both the long and short-term for work.

This change is to allow for a full consultation on the proposal for a permanent transfer of assessment rights from the courts to LAA. The consultation will open shortly and details will be published on GOV.UK.

What does this apply to?

Any new civil or family claim that would previously been subject to detailed assessment at court, often referred to as ‘taxed bills’.

Any claim assessed by the LAA (after 17 August 2020) where the firm isn’t satisfied with the assessment.

Any civil or family claim that this does not apply to will continue to be assessed by LAA.

Further information

Guidance on how to submit your claim