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- About the Unified Contract
About the Unified Contract
On this page:
- About the Unified Contract
- Contract notices
- Contract for Signature
- Standard Terms
- Specifications
- For more information
About the Unified Contract
All our civil legal aid providers must sign a contract with us. Our Unified Contract (Civil) regulates how civil legal aid work is funded by the Community Legal Service (CLS). This makes sure we get competent, quality assured, best value contract work.
All documents are in the Documents panel on the right.
We keep providers updated about information affecting the contract via the CLS news page.
Contract notices
See Documents for recent notices:
- amending the Unified Contract from 1 Oct 07: sent to providers w/c 13 Aug 07.
Contract for Signature
This sets out the term of the Unified Contract and is in force until 31 March 2010 with an option for extension up to 31 March 2012.
Providers also get an office schedule for each of their offices that carry out legal aid work.
The immigration and asylum success rate
See the office schedule for this: where we have funded representation before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal a minimum success rate of 40% combined and 35% in respect of asylum and immigration cases respectively is required.
Standard Terms
See Documents for these. The main changes include:
- a more efficient way of working by issuing one contract per organisation rather than one per office
- new provisions about e-business and equality and diversity
- new Payment on Account provisions as agreed with the representative bodies
- setting a minimum and maximum number of new cases to be started by an individual office each year.
Specifications
Our Unified Contract Specification is under Documents and covers:
- General
- Family Category Specific
- Immigration Category Specific
- Miscellaneous Category Specific
- the Payment Annex.
The 1 Apr 07 Specification still applies to matters and cases opened in the Mental Health Category of Law.
The Specification brings into effect civil fee schemes from 1 Oct 07 (1 Jan 08 for Mental Health). A new Funding Order and certain Funding Code and regulation changes support the changes to the fee schemes.
Not-for Profit transitional provisions
These transitional provisions apply to all NfP providers who previously carried out work under NfP Specifications. They are in the Documents panel.
Other specifications
See Documents for the:
- Family Mediation Specification
- Mental Health Category Specific Specification
Family Mediation applies to all solicitor and NfP providers and brings into force new fee schemes. Mental Health sets out the criteria for:
- the various levels of service
- mental health specific rules for the new fee scheme.
For more information
Please see Documents for:
- all contract information
- equality and diversity guidance
Visit the Pay rates and schemes pages for details of remuneration.
Last updated: 30 May 2008