Providers will in future be emailed representation orders for successful criminal legal aid applications and refusal notices for failed applications.
Why make this change?
This means you will receive a copy of the representation order/refusal notice sooner. This new arrangement starts on 30 August 2016.
This is one of several changes we’re working on to improve our processes. Some parts of our processes will be automated, others simplified. This will allow our staff to focus more on decision-making and less on administration.
Who receives the email?
Please check that the email addresses, linked to your eForms user accounts, are accurate and up-to-date.
We will send the representation order/refusal notice to the email address linked to the legal aid application.
You can also get the representation order/refusal notice sent to a second email address by inserting this address in the ‘firm administrator’ field of the CRM form.
What will the email look like?
The representation orders/refusal notices sent by email will contain the same information as the current paper version.
We haven’t made any changes to the application process or the information clients receive.
Will I always get an email?
There will be exceptional circumstances where the nature of the charge is ‘sensitive’ (under government security classification). Terrorism cases, for instance, fall into this bracket. For these cases, we will only send a representation order/refusal notice by email if a CJSM email account is in place. Otherwise, we’ll send it by post.
Do I keep the email?
As with the paper version, providers don’t need to keep email representation orders except in certain circumstances.
These circumstances were outlined in a GOV.UK article on 21 June 2016 – see link below.