Criminal Legal Aid Fee Increases 2025: All You Need to Know

Introduction

Major changes are coming to criminal legal aid. Statutory Instrument 2025 No. 1251 introduces increases for Lower Crime Work with effect from 22nd December 2025.

Join Colin Beaumont in this short webinar, which will break down exactly what these changes mean for practitioners and focus on how the new rules apply to police station cases and situations where the ‘relevant determination’ of legal aid eligibility is made on or after the implementation date.

If you are a fee earner or responsible for billing criminal legal aid work, staying ahead of these updates is essential.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• The new Police Station Fixed Fees and the issue of ‘harmonisation’
• The new ‘Escape Fee Threshold’ figure
• The police station hourly rates
• The Fixed Fee for telephone advice
• The Criminal Defence Direct Fixed Acceptance Fee
• The hourly rates for work done in the Adult Magistrates’ Court
• The hourly rates for work done in the Youth Court
• The rates for Advice and Assistance and Advocacy Assistance by a Court Duty Solicitor
• The new Higher and Lower Standard Fees Table in the Adult Magistrates’ Court
• The new Higher and Lower Standard Fees Table in the Youth Court
• The new Sending Fee in both the Adult Magistrates’ Court and the Youth Court
• The new Fees as regards advice and assistance on an appeal against conviction or sentence or application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission
• The new rates of payment for Assigned Counsel for representation in a Magistrates’ Court or Youth Court

This pre-recorded webinar will be available to view from Tuesday 6th January 2026

Alternatively, you can gain access to this webinar and 2,101 others via the MBL Webinar Subscription. Please email webinarsubscription@mblseminars.com for more details.