Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board
The Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board (CLAAB) provides independent advice to the Lord Chancellor on the operation and structure of the existing and future criminal legal aid schemes.
About the Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board (CLAAB)
The CLAAB was established in October 2022 following the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review (CLAIR) recommendation that an independent Advisory Board be established to take a wider view and encourage a more joined-up approach to criminal legal aid within the criminal justice system.
The CLAAB’s purpose is to provide independent advice to the Lord Chancellor on the operation and structure of the existing and future criminal legal aid schemes, and to assess how these schemes should adapt as the criminal justice system changes over time.
Its overall objective is to ensure that the criminal legal aid schemes comprise the right structure and incentives to support a high performing criminal justice system and the wider objectives of the legal profession.
CLAAB membership
- Chair of the Board
- Ministry of Justice
- Legal Aid Agency
- Crown Prosecution Service
- The Criminal Bar Association
- The Bar Council
- The Law Society
- Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association
- London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association
- CILEX
- Young Barristers Committee
- Young Legal Aid Lawyers
CLAAB Annual Report
This is the first CLAAB annual report which was shared with the Lord Chancellor in August 2024.