Introducing the new Prior Approval online form (previously known as Sanction)

We will shortly be rolling out our new prior approval screens. Prior approval is the new term for what we previously called ‘sanction’.

For solicitors new to legal aid, the term ‘prior approval’ is a more accurate description of the purpose of the application. It is also the terminology used in our legislation.

This new form is part of our review programme to update our systems and should make it easier for you to make applications for prior approval and provide us with the information we need to make quicker decisions.

Deployment details

Access to Legal Aid Online (LAOL) will be unavailable on Monday 12 January 2026 from 6pm until 9pm so we can make the system changes.

Apologies for any inconvenience this essential deployment downtime causes, as we try to minimise service disruption at peak times.

Drafts

If you have draft sanction applications, please submit them before Monday 12 January.

Any drafts left on the system when we start the deployment will be lost and will need to be redone using the new form.

System design improvements

We want to gather as much information upfront as possible to reduce administration for everyone.

We have improved the layout and the question wording based on feedback from system users, and note that for:

• criminal, sometimes a second solicitor may be needed in a Sheriff and Jury case, which should be done via an unusual request, and we have included a specific question for this
• civil, we now require a breakdown of the figures in custom expert cases, even if you are attaching a quote, as this will make the scope of the approval clearer to us and our accounts team when you are submitting your account.

Retrospective requests

Where applicable, we now have a question to ask if the approval is retrospective. We ask for the information we need to consider your request, and guidance is here: Applying for prior approval – Scottish Legal Aid Board.

Guidance

Short video recordings of how to use the new form are available below:

These videos are also available within the E-learning and online guidance section of our website.

Webinars – Thursday evenings on LAOL

We hold webinars on Thursday evenings on LAOL. We will continue to hold these webinars over the next few weeks, so please do join us if you can and provide your feedback.

If you wish to request a separate webinar for your firm, please contact Kathleen Nolan, Product Manager, on nolanka@slab.org.uk.