Policies and decision-makers’ guidance published for all aid types on valid grant, distinct matters, and matters of Scots law in Advice and Assistance

As part of our ongoing GALA work we’ve published the next release of policies and decision-makers’ guidance (DMG) for valid grants, distinct matters and matters of Scots law in Advice and Assistance.

The policies and guidance on our GALA website are intended primarily for our decision-makers for:

• assessing the factors we take into consideration in applications and accounts
• detailing the information we take into account and the decisions we take as a result of the information.

As part of the GALA project, our existing legal aid guidance for solicitors on the SLAB website is reviewed and updated, as appropriate.

It remains the primary legal aid reference material for solicitors and has links to published policy statements or decision-makers’ guidance, if you need that at any time.

What’s new?

This time we have drafted our policies by aid type.

These decisions relate to the very first checks we do when a grant of advice and assistance is intimated to us.

Decision-makers told us that one set of guidance worked best for them.

The new policy statements and DMGs are available on the GALA website for the following in criminal, civil and children’s Advice and Assistance:

• assessing applications against the criteria for a valid grant
• assessing whether the grant relates to a distinct matter
• checking that the grant relates to a matter of Scots law.

More information

Please contact:

• Kingsley Thomas – Criminal Legal Assistance – ThomasKi@slab.org.uk
• Wendy Dalgleish – Children’s Legal Assistance – DalgleishWe@slab.org.uk
• Cindy Morrice – Civil Legal Assistance – MorriceCi@slab.org.uk