Form News

Legal Aid Agency simplify processes for CRM4 and CRM7 claims

The Legal Aid Agency is making changes which will mean it will no longer be necessary to submit:

• representation order number for prior authority applications (CRM4s)
• hard copy representation order with magistrates’ court non-standard fee claims

It will no longer be necessary for Solicitors to confirm the representation order number when submitting an application for prior authority (Legal Aid form CRM4).

This means that Legal Aid Solicitors will be able to submit an application for prior authority before they receive a paper copy of the representation order. Representation orders will continue to be sent out in all instances.

Legal Aid Solicitors should note that:

• representation order number field will still be mandatory if using the CRM4 eForm, but this can be bypassed by inserting 10 zeros
• MAAT number will still be mandatory, as this will allow us to check that a rep order is in place for each individual, and also to check the offences covered Providers do not need to wait for the representation order to arrive to find the MAAT number – it can be found on the Legal Aid Agency portal.
• representation order date will remain mandatory. Providers should complete this field with the application date stamp for applications granted in magistrates’ court proceedings or with the date you submitted a fully completed application to the LAA for Crown Court proceedings

Solicitors no longer need to send in a representation order for any CRM7s with a representation order dated after 1 August 2015. Representation orders with an issue date before this will still need to be provided.

This change will only apply where there has not been any transfer of the representation order.

If any transfer has taken place, Solicitors will still need to send in the representation order confirming the date that they were authorised to start work.

The Legal Aid Agency are making these changes following the completion of the transfer of grant for representation orders from HM Courts and Tribunals Service, which instigated a review of their processes.

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