Legal Aid Newsletter | October 2025
Welcome to your October 2025 edition of the Legal Aid newsletter from Resolution.
If you have any feedback from this newsletter, or would like our team to look into any issues for you, please email us.
LAA cyber incident information updates
Check the LAA 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.
Restoration of LAA digital systems – timeline
Every individual will need a SiLAS (Sign in for Legal Aid Services) account in order to use LAA systems. The LAA has published guides to registering on SiLAS and the ID required.
- SiLAS has gone live for Crime firms
- Crime Apply and Submit A Crime Form were restored on 01 October
- At the time of writing, restoration of CCMS has been put back from mid-September to mid-November
Resolution working for you
Elspeth Thomson, Nicola Jones-King and Emma Cordock from the Legal Aid Committee have met David Thomas, the LAA’s Head of Contract Management and Assurance to express members’ dismay and concerns about the continuing effects of the cyber incident and restoration of services. Elspeth Thomson also had a subsequent meeting with Jane Harbottle CBE, the LAA’s CEO.
In response to the questions raised, the LAA emphasised that they recognise the disruption to legal aid providers including administrative burdens, accounting difficulties, and challenges in managing information. They are immensely grateful for providers’ flexibility.
Legal aid statistics January – March 2025
National Statistics has published the latest legal aid statistics. The statistics for April-June have not been published due to the cyber incident. The number of civil certificates completed remained the same as the previous comparable period and the associated expenditure decreased by 2%.
| Family category | Workload | Expenditure |
| Family Public | 20,210 (-7%⬊) | £162.7m (-6%⬊) |
| Family Private | 11,919 (-1%⬊) | £ 50.1m (6%⬈) |
| Mediation and MIAMS* | 5,531 (5%⬈) | £ 1.7m (6%⬈) |
Other legal aid news
The Standard Crime Contract 2025 went live on 01 October 2025. The LAA has published a welcome pack with links to training and other resources.
Note that the Standard Crime Contract 2025 has made Cyber Essentials accreditation mandatory for crime providers. It appears inevitable that this will also apply to the civil contract to start in 2027. It is advisable to start planning for accreditation now.