Duty to report whether or not submitting a claim on the Fund

We would like to highlight the need to let us know whether you intend to submit an account or submit a nil claim for a client.

Doing so is a reporting requirement in terms of Regulation 26 of the Civil Legal Aid (Scotland) Regulations 2002.

Once an action concludes, or you stop acting for a client, you must let us know whether or not you intend to lodge a legal aid account.

This is particularly important in circumstances where your client has been assessed as liable to pay a contribution or has recovered or preserved property.

Even if you do not intend to make a claim on the Fund by submitting an account, you must complete the online synopsis form, which only takes a few minutes.

This is to confirm that you are submitting a ‘nil’ claim and that you will not be charging privately for any work done while the legal aid certificate was in force.

Please also remember that any legal aid account must be submitted to us within four months of the completion of proceedings in respect of which legal aid was granted unless you have a special reason for late submission.

Without your account, we cannot:

• pay you what you are due
• confirm the amount the applicant is due to pay us
• confirm whether they are due a refund of any sums that have already been paid towards their contribution.

See our Legal Aid Guidance on: Duty to report whether or not submitting a claim on the Fund

More information

If you have any questions please contact:
Carol Quinn, Assistant Manager, Collections and Principal Sums
E: QuinnCa@slab.org.uk