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#Scottish Legal Aid Board

Forms, online mandates and legal aid materials are free for solicitors and advice sector organisations.

This section provides resources for solicitors and advisers who provide advice and representation through legal aid. Only a solicitor can complete and submit a legal aid application to us. To make an application for legal aid you should therefore consult your solicitor. If you want to find out information about applying for legal aid, go to the Information for the Public section.

As we ve moved to an online application system, we no longer supply paper application forms. We cannot accept paper application forms as all intimations need to be made using the online system.

Legal Aid Forms

Most paper processes have been replaced by Legal Aid Online. However, some paper based processes remain. We provide digital (pdf) versions of forms here.

Client Online Mandates

Online mandates should be used for obtaining clients signatures.

In some cases we have also provided a data capture form. Use of the data capture forms, which can also be downloaded, is optional. They are intended for gathering all the relevant information about the case.

For more information about client online mandates and data capture forms, and to download them, please go here.

General Advice

For every advice and assistance, criminal or civil legal aid application, transfer and criminal review (of a decision to refuse legal aid) application made online, your firm must obtain and retain the client s signature, to be stored in your office. You can do this by either printing the completed online application or the client online mandate. You do not have to send us a copy, but as part of our audits and quality checks, we will randomly verify that applications or mandates have been signed.

If necessary, you may complete the application in the absence of your client. However, it will remain your responsibility to ensure that your client signs and dates it.

Print the completed online application

Once you have successfully completed an application online there is an option to print the application. This is the simplest and most efficient way to obtain the client s signature if you are completing the application online while the client is in your office. At the bottom of the printout, there is a space for the client's signature.

Ensure that both the client and solicitor sign and date this and that you keep it in the client s file.

Using Legal Aid Online mandates and data capture forms

If you are not completing the application online while the client is in your office, you should use the appropriate Legal Aid Online mandate to record key information and capture the applicant's and solicitor's signatures. All mandates must be:

• Signed and dated by the client
• Signed and dated by the solicitor
• Completed in full, including details of the type of ABWOR granted, where applicable
• The criminal review requires only the client s signature.

In some cases we have also provided a data capture form to capture additional information. We have produced this following feedback and it is designed to help your business processes. It allows the solicitor to record the information required for the application. The solicitor can then use this to personally complete the application online, or give it to a member of staff to complete online, or dictate the details to a member of staff to complete the application online. The data capture form is not required to be signed or retained.