Arrestment lodged

Sheriff officers may lodge an arrestment schedule with us relating to you or your firm. In either case, any payments where legal aid was granted before the arrestment was lodged, will be attached. We will continue to withhold payments under this arrestment until either we hold sufficient funds or the arrestment is loosed.

If the arrestment is lodged against an individual, all accounts to any firm where they are the nominated solicitor and which relate to certificates granted before the arrestment was lodged will be caught by the arrestment.

If the arrestment is lodged against a firm, all accounts submitted by that firm, irrespective of the nominated solicitor, that relate to legal aid granted before the arrestment was lodged, will be arrested.

Sufficient funds

• Where the arrestment lodged is for a value less than £500, we will retain an additional 100% of the value to be caught.
• Where the arrestment lodged is between £500 and £1,000, we will retain an additional 50%.
• Where the arrestment lodged is for a value greater than £1,000, we will retain an additional 25%.

If funds held against an arrestment exceed £5,000, we will transfer these funds to a special deposit account where interest is accrued. This interest will be released once the arrestment is loosed.

In all cases, when sufficient funds have been caught, we will send the firm a cheque for the balance held, where applicable, and all future payments will be made to the nominated bank account in the usual manner. Once the arrestment is loosed, if the arrestor has not made a claim on the additional funds, these will be released by cheque and sent to the firm.

We will not take any action on behalf of either party unless we receive an appropriately signed written request. No funds will be released to the arrestors without authorisation from the solicitor or firm arrested.