After listening to your feedback, we understand that there are some queries that are not straightforward and cannot be answered by our staff on the Customer Service Team. A designated email service has been established to assist when you require support from a means expert when completing the means element of a civil certificated application for legal aid.
What is the email address?
Queries should be sent to ContactMeansExpert@justice.gov.uk.
What the email service provides:
- Access to a means expert to assist with your complex means queries
- A response from the means expert within 48 hours
What queries would be suitable for a ‘means expert’?
- Queries in relation to trapped capital
- Queries in relation to vulnerable clients with limited financial evidence
- Queries for a provisional assessment when the client has complex means and eligibility is unclear
- Queries on complex calculations
- Queries on capital in bank accounts
- Queries on business assessments
- Queries relating to property
- Queries for delegated functions support/advice
What queries would be unsuitable for a ‘means expert’?
- Queries from the client
- Queries in relation to timescales of processing
- Queries chasing prioritisation and work updates
- Queries which are unrelated to the means assessment
- Queries which are non-complex, and Customer Service Team could assist
- Queries which relate to legal help
Please note that this is a non-exhaustive list and aims to give some typical examples.
The usual methods of communication with the LAA remain available (Customer Service Team and CCMS enquiries). The mailbox will be regularly monitored to ensure that our means experts’ resource is being used in the most efficient way and if the query is not deemed suitable for a means expert, your query may be redirected.