The Billing of Crown Court Work in 2023

Introduction

This webinar will be of interest to anyone recently given the task of billing Crown Court criminal legal aid or someone involved in such work who wants to ensure that they are not under-claiming in a particular area.

The webinar will cover fixed fees as well as fees based upon PPE and trial length under both the Litigators Graduated Fee Scheme and the Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme. Hourly rates of pay, where appropriate, will also be covered, as will the billing of proceeds of crime work (POCA) from both the perspective of litigator and advocate.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• The importance of appreciating how the case arrived at the Crown Court - did it arrive there by way of a committal for sentence, an appeal, or a sending?
• The importance of appreciating the date of the Representation Order - 3 very important Statutory Instruments published in late 2022 opened new ‘windows’ for claims
• The 15% increase in fees - the circumstances in which the fee increase applies
• Working out the litigators fee where the case is sent to the Crown Court and results in a guilty plea, cracked trial or trial
• Working out the advocates fee where the case is sent to the Crown Court and results in a guilty plea, cracked trial or trial
• The reading of ‘unused material’ and the payment scheme
• The importance of PPE when billing the case
• POCA claims for litigators and advocates
• Special preparation claims
• Discretionary claims for hourly rates to the Criminal Cases Unit
• ‘Uplifts’ for both litigators and advocates

This webinar was recorded on 16th May 2023