What is the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) Online Portal?

The Legal Aid Agency online portal is a platform used in claims funded by government aid. It allows providers of the Legal Aid and LAA staff to access specific forms, reports, documents and administration tools online. It is also used by legal professionals to manage their legal aid cases, submit claims, and access various resources related to legal aid funding.

How can the LAA Online Portal be accessed?

The portal is accessed by visiting the LAA Online Portal on the Government’s website. It must only be accessed by approved representatives or instructed counsel. This may include individuals employed by the authorising organisation, a practising barrister or an individual who possesses a ‘right of audience.’ To access the portal, the representative will be provided with a login.

Terms and conditions of the portal can be found here.

What are the benefits of the LAA Online Portal?

The portal streamlines the process of managing legal aid cases, reducing the need for paper forms and manual processes. This speeds up the submission and approval of claims. The portal provides tools to track and manage multiple cases, view case statuses, and access detailed case information easily.

Legal professionals can submit claims for legal aid funding directly through the portal, which simplifies the process and reduces administrative overhead.

Legal aid costs

Often in family or care matters, an order for detailed assessment of a legally aided parties’ costs is directed.  This entitles the Legal Aid Solicitor to recoup their costs from the LAA unless an inter-partes costs order has been made.

It should be noted, however, that if a successful litigant receives any damages during a legal aid-funded case (this can be common in ancillary relief or civil disputes), legal aid recipients may be required to pay back a portion of the awarded sum to the legal aid agency from part of their settlement (the statutory charge).

This is also the case if they keep or gain property under legal aid representation and if the full amount of legal costs is not recovered from the opponent in any inter-partes costs dispute.

Full guidance can be found in the Civil Finance Electronic Handbook.

How can ARC Costs assist with Legal Aid Costs?

Our team can provide extensive assistance when handling costs for claims funded by Legal Aid. Our Legal Aid Costs Draftsman and Costs Lawyers are happy to process and submit your LAA costs claims via CCMS on your behalf if you so wish, and we often deal with the entire costs administrative process for many law firms.

To find out more about how we can help you, please contact us at 01204 397302 or info@arccosts.co.uk. 

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