Legal Aid Newsletter | March 2026
Welcome to your March 2026 edition of the Legal Aid newsletter from Resolution.
We will continue to put any issues you’d like us to raise to the LAA. If you have any feedback from this newsletter, or would like our team to look into any problems you face, please email us.
Submit a Bulk Claim (SaBC) deadline
The deadline for submitting February claims and historic contingency submissions from April to December 2025 via SaBC was 20 March 2026.
If there have been difficulties with meeting the deadline, the LAA recommends that you contact your Contract Manager as soon as possible so that they can understand the issues and try and assist where possible.
Submit a Bulk Claim (SaBC) updates
The Bulkload spreadsheet has been updated. The LAA asks you to use these versions. The accompanying guides will prevent common issues, such as understanding that the bulkload will generate the file which you then need to upload, rather than uploading the bulkload itself.
The LAA have updated the spreadsheet to include the two new PROH1 and PROH2 Fee codes which are applicable for applications granted on/after 22 December 2025.
If you have used an older version of the spreadsheet to create your file and need to change the Fee Code as one of these would apply, then you can find the relevant cell in the export file:
- Add a 1 or 2 to the Fee Code as needed e.g. FEE_CODE=PROH may become FEE_CODE=PROH1.
The LAA is grateful for your feedback on your experience with the new system so far and are actively developing the requested functionality. They are also keen to understand more about your monthly submission process, how you typically submit, and how this change affects your operations. You can share your feedback using the provider feedback form.
Reconciliation of contingency claims with SaBC claims
During the cyber-incident period, the LAA made contingency payments without the supporting claims data they ordinarily require. Now that SaBC is fully operational, the LAA needs to reconcile these payments against claims before the end of the 2025–26 financial year. This does not mean that any overpayments must be repaid by 31st March 2026; but the LAA must be able to demonstrate how the payments made during contingency match the claims that have now been submitted.
Once submissions are uploaded, the LAA will review the account at the end of March 2026 before any reconciliation takes place. You will then receive a statement for all accounts showing the value of contingency submissions against actual submissions on 23 March.
If you have been paid more than the value of work submitted, they will confirm any difference in value between contingency submissions and actual submissions. The LAA will write to you setting out the difference on 2 April.
Sign in to Legal Aid services (SiLAS) – don’t get caught out
On Friday 13 March, the LAA implemented additional controls so that if an account is not used for 90 days then it will be automatically disabled. Users will receive an email notification that their account will be disabled 72 hours before. If you log in to the account within this window, it will not be disabled.
If you have not accessed your account in the last 90 days it will be automatically locked. Once an account is disabled, the user will receive a further email notification. An account can be reactivated, but appropriate justification will need to be provided.
Your admin will also have the option to disable or delete accounts for users within your firm. Accounts should be deleted if the user has permanently left the firm. The LAA recommends that your admin should disable accounts if someone is temporarily unable to work for three months or more (for example, maternity leave, long‑term sickness or a career break).
If an account is disabled for more than 13 months it will be automatically deleted. If a user’s account is deleted, then a new one will need to be created for them if they return to do legal aid work. This applies to all disabled accounts, regardless of how they were disabled.
To set up a new user account, you will need to fill in an organogram and email the request to: [email protected].
Overnight rates have increased in some cities
With effect from 17 March overnight accommodation rates have increased to up to £120 in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Newcastle (per person, per night, inclusive of VAT).
Where necessary, LAA caseworkers will retain their discretionary authority to agree rates in excess of the guidelines. This applies where providers are able to demonstrate a lack of suitable accommodation at these prices.
The LAA’s fee guidance documents have been updated to reflect this change.
LAA cyber incident information
The LAA webpage explains how the LAA is treating work received during the contingency period.
The LAA has also published a guide to contingency payment recoupments (including information about requesting a pause in recoupments). There is more information across the whole legal aid scheme, on the LAA’s cyber security incident page. This provides updates by topic. If you scroll down to the bottom and click ‘show all updates’, it gives brief descriptions of updates and when they were added. At the time of writing it was last updated on 27 January 2026.
See also the LAA’s FAQs page. At the time of writing it was last updated on 27 January 2026.
Legal aid mediators – we’re still here!
Many thanks to Rebecca Hawkins, member of Resolution’s legal aid committee and Director of Family Solutions Now, for reminding us that legal aid mediation has an important role to play in enabling people experiencing relationship breakdown to get on with their lives.
Find out more about family mediation
Rebecca said: “There are now fewer than 86 Legal Aid mediation providers operating nationwide. Access to justice is shrinking — but we are still here. Legal Aid removes the financial barrier to mediation, helping couples find workable outcomes. If they have a low income, or receive benefits, they may qualify – even if they jointly own a property with their ex.
“Where just one of them qualifies, the MIAM and first joint session is free to both. Legal Aid will pay for all of the mediation for the person who is eligible. In cases involving the arrangements for children, by combining legal aid with a Mediation Voucher worth £500, the non-eligible person could have access to up to three free joint mediation appointments.”
Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards 2026 – Open for nominations
The Legal Aid Practitioners Group Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards (LALYs) are the only awards which are dedicated to the work of fantastic legal aid lawyers. They are non-profit-making and only made possible due to the generosity of sponsors and supporters. Resolution is proud once again to sponsor the Family legal aid category. The deadline for nominations is 21 April 2026. The award ceremony will be held in London on 3 July 2026.
Resolution working for you and clients – Child Focused Model (Pathfinder)
The Child Focused Model (previously the Pathfinder pilot) pilot aims to improve the court experience and outcomes for children and parents involved in private family law proceedings, including those who have experience of domestic abuse. The initial pilot was designed in response to recommendations from the Harm Panel report to reform private law by trialling a more problem-solving, investigative approach which better supports victims of domestic abuse and other harms.
In the Child Focused courts the usual Child Arrangements Programme (CAP) is suspended and replaced with a revised process for relevant cases. The model will be expanding to some other court areas in Autumn 2026.
Unfortunately, feedback from members in the pilot areas suggested that there had been little consideration of how legal aid would fit into the new Pathfinder Court process. Resolution has worked with the Law Society and the other family practitioner representative groups to bring this issue to the Ministry of Justice’s attention. The information currently provided to LAA caseworkers can be found here. We will continue to press for a solution as soon as possible.
Standard Civil Contact 2024 Schedules
The cyber incident meant that the LAA could not issue these at the usual time. However, with the restoration of digital services, they have been able to send 2024 Standard Civil Contract holders a copy of the schedule(s) (which started on 1 September 2025).
Schedules were sent to the primary contact email address the LAA has for your firm. If you have any questions about your schedule(s), think there is an error, or have not yet received your schedule(s), email Civil Contracts.
Resolution working for you – Standard Civil Contract 2028
The Standard Civil Contract 2024 has been extended and is currently due to end on 30 June 2028.
Resolution was represented at a recent meeting between the LAA and the practitioner groups which aimed to consider ‘lessons learned’ from the tender process for the Standard Civil Contract 2024 and start the process of consultation ahead of a new civil contract for 2028.
The LAA reminded us that their process for the 2024 contract was:
- Contract published and tender opened – 13 September 2023
- Tender deadline 17 October 2023
- Contracts started 01 September 2024
- Tender re-opened 18 March 2024
- Tender deadline 22 April 2024
- Tender re-opened in January 2025 and will remain open until on or around 31.12.26 (but this could be extended further in line with the extension of the 2024 contract)
The LAA will be conducting a complete re-tender as usual with fixed deadlines. However, if a firm could not provide all the verification evidence within the date required to start their contract on 30.06.28, they would then have to wait for the second tranche as for the 2024 contract.
The LAA accepted that its communications could be clearer and are keen to hear about any other improvements which could be made to their systems and processes. If you have any suggestions, please email Resolution’s Legal Aid Committee.
Practice Direction on Court Bundles Update
The Practice Direction on court bundles – 27A, has now been updated. A guide has also been published for Litigants in Person on preparing court bundles for family proceedings. Resolution has updated its guidance note for members accordingly with all the changes.
Help the LAA with their digital justice programme
The LAA is looking for people in a wide variety of roles (including partners, directors, fee-earners, billing clerks and costs lawyers) to join its transformation programme research panel.
The panel will test new system designs, share feedback and influence improvements that will make the administration of legal aid better for you and your clients. Research sessions have already begun.
More information and volunteer
Support the Law Society Legal Aid Means campaign
Resolution is supporting the Law Society’s ‘Legal Aid Means’ campaign. The campaign explains that legal aid is a vital public service which is under threat due to years of under-investment.
In Family they highlight that when legal aid works:
- Domestic abuse survivors can get the legal advice they need to protect themselves and their children
- Fewer people are forced to represent themselves in family courts
- Divorcing couples could get early legal advice and avoid costly court proceedings