https://www.slab.org.uk/guidance/stage-reporting/
https://www.slab.org.uk/guidance/stage-reporting/
The reporting process (whereby you send us a report on Legal Aid Online when the prospects of success in a case reduce):
In any stage report that you send to us you can provide reasons why you consider the grant should continue even though prospects have reduced. This could include:
You can ask for stage payments but you do not need to submit a stage report with such a request. We will consider the stage payment request without any reference to stage reporting.
Where a case is sisted you do not have to submit a stage report.
You must provide a stage report when you are given, or have information, that suggests the prospects of success in the case and/or the prospects of recovery have reduced since legal aid was granted.
It is your duty, along with counsel and your client, to report any changes in circumstance to us affecting the assumptions on which we granted legal aid. You should immediately inform us of any material change in circumstances, whether they are financial or otherwise [Regulation 23 the Civil Legal Aid (Scotland) Regulations 2002], about:
You are not precluded from reporting such circumstances because of any privilege arising out of the relationship between you and your client [Regulation 23(4) Civil Legal Aid (Scotland) Regulations 2002].
As a result of these changes:
Remember that you must always tell us if your client’s:
After a grant, and prior approval needed
This page includes information on arrangements for the employment of counsel under civil legal aid. It includes information on: the tests applied in our assessment of requests for counsel (whether case-related, or linked to your circumstances); timing of requests; limited use of counsel for opinions etc.; and retrospective grants for the employment of counsel.
After a grant, and prior approval needed
This page includes information on the employment of expert witnesses in civil legal aid. The guidance includes information on when prior approval is required; the application procedure (including use of templates); how to distinguish an expert witness and the status of certain common types of witnesses; timing of applications; how we will assess experts’ costs; and cost limit information.
After a grant, and prior approval needed
This page includes information on our approach to approving ‘unusual’ work and work involving ‘unusually large expenditure.’ It sets out when prior approval is required for these types of work and provides information on several examples, including mediation; child welfare reports; family therapy; supervised contact; and vulnerable witnesses. It also includes information on documents to be submitted with these applications for approval.