CCMS, procedure, and regulation guidance

Getting setup on CCMS

Granting CCMS access to an existing user

If you already have an LAA Online Portal account, for example, because you submit criminal applications or use CWA, our Online Support Team can amend your account and provide you with access to CCMS.

Email Online-Support@justice.gov.uk,

Telephone 0300 200 2020

You can also use our webchat service.

Before contacting the Online Support Team, you will need to have obtained authorisation from your Contract Manager or firm’s director via email.

Registering a user and granting access to CCMS – no CCMS Firm Administrator

If you do not have a CCMS Firm Administrator, for example, because they have left employment, the Online Support Team will be able to assist you with creating a Legal Aid Portal account. You will also need to have obtained authorisation from your Contract Manager or firm’s director via email.

We will email your login details once an account has been created, at which point you will be able to assign permissions to CCMS.

Starting an application

Once your user account has been created, visit the LAA Online Portal and select Client and Cost Management System.

From the Home screen select ‘New Application’.

Select your office from the drop-down menu and press Next.

Select ‘Crime Civil’ as the Category of Law and press Next.

You will need to decide whether to make an Emergency or Substantive Application for legal aid.

Select ‘No’ to use of Delegated Functions and press Next.

You will need to complete a Client Search to check if your client is registered within the LAA system. Mandatory fields are your client’s first name, surname at birth, and date of birth. You may also include a unique identifier in the search, for example, your client’s National Insurance Number.

Once you have completed the fields press Search.

If the search returns no results you will need to select ‘Register New Client’. You will be presented with a privacy notice on the next screen. Tick the box to confirm your client or their representative has read and agreed to the privacy notice and press Next.

You will need to enter Basic Client Details. The mandatory fields are Title, Surname, Country of Origin, and Marital Status. Select Next once entered.

You will need to enter Client Contact Details. The mandatory fields are at least one contact telephone number, password/password reminder, and correspondence method. We will use the password information to verify your client’s identity if they contact us. Select Next once details have been entered.

You will need to provide Client Address Details. You may tick the box if your client is of no fixed abode. Once details have been entered select Next.

You will need to enter Equal Opportunities Monitoring information. This includes an option to provide details of any special requirements your client may have. Select Next once details have been entered.

You will be taken to the Summary of Client Information screen. You should review the information provided and edit details if necessary. Select ‘Submit Client’ once the information has been checked.

At the Submission Confirmation screen select Next to start completion of the application.

Completing the application sections

You will be presented with the Application Summary screen.

The application type and client details have already been completed based on the information supplied. The remaining sections will need to be completed before the application can be submitted.

Select Provider Details to supply the fee earner’s details and the Contact Name for the application. Once the details have been completed select ‘Confirm’.

The Application Summary screen will now be updated to show a Complete status against Provider Details.

Select General Details to complete the next section of the application. You will be asked to confirm the Correspondence Address details for your client. Select Next once details have been entered.

You will be taken to the Linked Cases Summary screen. You will be able to link this application to other cases if you represent other parties within the same proceedings. Please refer to Linking Cases for more information on linking cases. If you do not wish to link the application to other cases, select ‘Confirm’.

The Application Summary screen will now be updated to show a Complete status against General Details.

Select Proceedings and Costs to complete the next section of the application.

Select ‘Add Proceeding’. From the Matter Type drop-down menu
Select Crime Civil and select Next.

From the Proceeding drop-down menu select the appropriate proceeding within which your client requires representation.

Select the appropriate Client Involvement type and Form of Service. Select Next.
You will need to insert a Scope Limitation. You can change the default scope limitation by clicking the ‘Add Scope Limitation’ button.

Select Next to confirm the Scope Limitation details.

You will need to apply for prior authority if you are seeking to instruct King’s Counsel or 2 counsel. Prior authority is not required if you are seeking to instruct junior counsel.

Select Opponents and Other Parties. Select ‘Add Organisation’ and complete the details to perform a search. If your search returns a match you can select ‘Use this record’ to add the organisation as the opponent. Alternatively, you may select the option Create New Organisation. Once you have selected the opponent you will need to provide details of their relationship to the case and your client from the 2 drop-down menus. Select ‘Confirm’ once completed.

If you do not need to add any further Opponents and Other Parties, select ‘Return to Create Application’.

Means and merits assessments

The Means Assessment and Merits Assessment options are now available for completion.

Please refer Means Assessment Information (justice.gov.uk) for guidance on completing the Means Assessment:

If your client is a prisoner, they will need to provide the last 3 months’ Prisoner’s Income and Expenditure Statements (PIES) for any prison account held. You will also need to upload a CIV MEANS 1P form and provide the last 3 months’ bank statements for any accounts in their name. You can access the CIV MEANS 1P form using the following link: civmeans1p-form.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Next, you will need to complete the Merits Assessment. CCMS will ask questions regarding the merits of the case.

If you have created an Emergency Application, select the option that you are making an urgent application. You will be asked to provide brief details of the urgency, and once this is completed, select Next.

You will be asked why delegated functions have not been used. You cannot grant funding under delegated functions for associated civil work. Select Next once completed.

You will be asked to provide Emergency Details. Select the reason for urgency from the list of options and click Next once completed.

You will be asked whether your client has previously received legal aid and the reasons why your client is applying for representation. Select Next once completed.

You will be asked to provide General Details about the case, including the date your client first visited your firm, the main purpose of the application, and the number of clients you are representing in the proceedings. Select Next once completed.

You will be asked whether proceedings are currently before the Court. If proceedings have been issued, answer ‘Yes’ and complete the fields. Select Next once complete.

You will be asked if the case has been listed for a final contested hearing. Select Next once complete.

You will be asked if the client requires separate representation from other parties in the proceedings. Select Next once complete.

You will be asked a series of questions to help CCMS route the application to the appropriate LAA team. This includes:

• likelihood of costs exceeding £25,000
• whether the proceedings relate to the client’s capacity
• whether it’s a multi-party action
• whether the client has full or partial UK status

Select Next once complete.

You will be asked to provide details of alternative funding. This includes answering questions about whether other persons might benefit from the proceedings who can reasonably be expected to fund the case. You will also need to answer questions about any insurance policies held by the client. You will be prompted to provide specific answers to questions about After the Event Insurance (AFE) and Conditional Fee Arrangements (CFA). You should complete both boxes explaining the proceedings are unsuitable for AFE and CFA. Select Next once complete.

You will be asked questions about any attempts which have been made to settle the matter. You will be prompted to provide specific answers if attempts to settle have not been made, which should be answered with an explanation that your client is the respondent in the proceedings. Select Next once complete.

You will be asked to provide information about your client’s likely prospects of success. Select Next once complete.

You will be asked to provide details of your estimated costs to trial (excluding VAT). Select Next once all questions have been answered.

You will be asked to confirm why this matter is considered proportionate for the purposes of the regulations. Select Next once details have been provided.

You will need to assess whether the case is of overwhelming importance to your client, for example, if the case concerns life, liberty, or physical safety. You will also need to confirm if you are contending that the case has human right elements. If so, you will need to provide details of the articles your client will rely upon. Select Next once complete.

You will need to provide your client’s statement of case. You can either complete the statement of case fields or upload an attachment on the next screen.

Once you have provided your client’s statement of case you will be asked whether you would like to provide additional supporting documents.

You will be asked to confirm that your client will sign the relevant declaration before submission of the application. There is space to explain if the declaration will not be obtained before submission. You will also be asked to confirm that you have explained the implications of the certificate being revoked to your client.

Revocation may occur if your client fails to comply with requests for information on the assessment of this financial eligibility. If funding is revoked, they will become liable for any costs incurred under the emergency civil legal aid certificate.

You will be taken to the Merits Declaration page. Tick the box to confirm the client, or their representative, has read and understood the declaration. Select Complete on the next screen.

You will be presented with an Assessment Summary. Check the details provided are accurate and select Confirm.

Once the Means and Merits Assessments have been completed you can select the option ‘Document Upload’.

CCMS will display details of the documents you need to provide based on the information supplied. You will see Yes/No options for each item, allowing you to indicate whether you wish to upload the documents with the submission of your application. Once ‘Yes’ is selected you will be presented with the ability to select files from your computer. You will need to indicate which document is being uploaded from the Document Type drop-down list. There is also an option to provide a Document Description.

You do not have to upload documents at this point. If the application is submitted without documents, we will send you a notification to supply them separately. Please note, we will be unable to consider your application for legal aid until the documents have been provided.

To help speed up a decision on your application you should include:

• a copy of the decision being challenged
• any pre-action correspondence
• any advice or note from counsel about the merits of any proposed action

Except for the Application Type, each of the Application Sections should now show a Complete status.

Select Complete Application, which will take you to the Application Summary screen. Review the details provided and select Back at the bottom of the screen if you identify any entries which need amending. If the details provided are correct you should select the Print option to access a copy of the Application Summary. Your client will be required to sign the printed version of the summary, which should be retained on file for auditing purposes.

Select Next once you have printed a copy of the Application Summary. You will need to tick the box to confirm you have obtained the necessary signed declaration from your client for retention on the client’s file. Select Continue to complete the submission of your client’s application for funding.

Managing live cases

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) will issue a funding certificate if the relevant merits and financial eligibility criteria are satisfied. Funding certificates are effective from the date of issue, although there are provisions to request the backdating of a determination. See page 2 for further information on backdating provisions.

The funding certificate will specify the proceeding for which funding can be provided to your client. It will also contain scope and costs limitations, which differs from funding issued in criminal proceedings.

The scope limitation specifies the point in the proceedings within which you are authorised to represent your client. Once that limitation has been reached you must seek an extension to the scope of the certificate to continue providing representation.

Costs limitations work similarly. The default costs limitation is £2,250 excluding VAT. This covers profit costs, disbursements and counsel fees. You will need to apply for an amendment to increase the cost limitation. Amendment requests to increase costs limitations should include details of the costs incurred to date and an explanation of how future additional costs have been calculated.

If an emergency certificate has been issued you will need to apply separately for a substantive certificate. This should be within 7 days of the emergency certificate being issued and at the point you have obtained all relevant information and evidence about your client’s financial eligibility. Depending on the circumstances and urgency of the case there may be occasions when you need to amend your emergency certificate before you submit the substantive application.