Crime news: Crown Court Defence online billing to be mandatory
Paper forms will no longer be accepted for Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS) and Litigators’ Graduated Fee Scheme (LGFS) claims after 31 October 2017.
The Claim for Crown Court Defence (CCD) system will be mandatory for AGFS and LGFS billing from 31 October 2017.
Support is available to help paper form users switch to online working.
More than 50% of bills are already submitted online instead of using the paper alternative. This breaks down into 60% for AGFS and 46% for LGFS.
All providers are asked to switch to submitting claims electronically as soon as possible. This will help prevent unnecessary delay to the processing of your claims.
How to sign up
Signing up to use the new system is very quick and easy. Benefits include:
- immediate bill submission avoids postal delays
- reduced postage and printing costs
- online messaging and instant notifications from the processing teams
- online evidence submission
- no need for a ‘wet’ signature
Last paper applications
Any AGFS or LGFS bill will be accepted on paper providing it is received by the Legal Aid Agency on or before 31 October 2017.
Consideration will be given to accepting AGFS and LGFS paper bills on a case by case basis for two months up until 31 December2017.
What support is available?
- quick user guide
- online WebEx training sessions are being held in the lead up to 31 October 2017
- ‘frequently asked questions’ document
See ‘further information’ below to access these resources along with a booking link for training and details on how to sign up to the system.
Future changes to Claim for Crown Court Defence
Improvements will be continued to be made to the system based on feedback from you. Current improvements being worked on include:
- introducing fee calculations within the system for both AGFS and LGFS fees
- minor design and usability improvements
Further information
- Legal aid: criminal legal aid processing – quick user guide, frequently asked questions and how to sign up.
- WebEx training sessions – Eventbrite booking link.