
1 

(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Legal Aid in Criminal and Care Proceedings (Costs) (Amendment) Regulations 1996 and shall come into force on 1st April 1996.
(2) In these Regulations a reference to a regulation or schedule by number alone means the regulation or Schedule so numbered in the Legal Aid in Criminal and Care Proceedings (Costs) Regulations 1989.
(3) Regulations 2 to 7 of these Regulations shall apply for the purposes of work done on or after 1st April 1996 to which the Legal Aid in Criminal and Care Proceedings (Costs) Regulations 1989 apply.
2 
In regulations 6(3) and 9(5)(a) for “30th June 1996” there shall be substituted the date “30th June 1997”.
3 
The following paragraphs shall be substituted for Schedule 1 Part I paragraph 1—“
1 

(1) Subject to paragraphs 1A, 2 and 3, the appropriate authority shall allow fees for work allowed by it under regulation 6 at the following prescribed rates:

Class of work Rate
Preparation £44.75 per hour– (£47.25 per hour for a fee-earner whose office is situated within legal aid area 1).
Advocacy £56.50 per hour 
Attendance at court where counsel assigned £30.50 per hour 
Attendance at court where counsel assigned £30.50 per hour 
Travelling and waiting £24.75 per hour 
Routine letters written and routine telephone calls £3.45 per item– (£3.60 per item for a fee-earner whose office is situated within legal aid area 1).

Class of work Grade of fee-earner Rate
Preparation Senior solicitor £53.00 per hour– (£55.75 per hour for a fee-earner whose office is situated within legal aid area 1).
 Solicitor, legal executive or fee earner of equivalent experience £45.00 per hour– (£47.25 per hour for a fee-earner whose office is situated within legal aid area 1).
 Articled clerk or fee-earner of equivalent experience £29.75 per hour– (£34.00 per hour for a fee-earner whose office is situated within legal aid area 1).
Advocacy Senior solicitor £64.50 per hour 
 Solicitor £56.00 per hour 
Attendance at court where counsel assigned Senior solicitor £42.25 per hour 
Solicitor, legal executive or fee-earner of equivalent experience £34.00 per hour 
 Articled clerk or fee-earner of equivalent experience £20.50 per hour 
Travelling & waiting Senior solicitor £24.75 per hour 
Solicitor, legal executive or fee-earner of equivalent experience £24.75 per hour 
 Articled clerk or fee-earner of equivalent experience £12.50 per hour 
Routine letters written and routine telephone calls  £3.45 per item– (£3.60 per item for a fee-earner whose office is situated within legal aid area 1).
(2) In paragraphs 1(1) and 1A, “legal aid area” means an area specified by the Board under regulation 4(1) of the Civil Legal Aid (General) Regulations 1989, and legal aid area 1 means the area so numbered by the Board.
1A 
Subject to paragraphs 2 and 3, the following prescribed rates shall apply to work done by a franchisee instead of the corresponding rates in paragraph 1(1)(a):

Class of work Rate
Preparation £46.00 per hour– (£48.50 per hour for a fee-earner whose office is situated within legal aid area 1)
Advocacy £57.75 per hour 
Attendance at court where counsel assigned £31.50 per hour 
Travelling and waiting £25.50 per hour 
Routine letters written and routine telephone calls £3.55 per item– (£3.70 per item for a fee-earner whose office is situated within legal aid area 1)”.
4 
Part II of Schedule 1 shall be amended as follows:—
(a) the following shall be substituted for the Table following paragraph 4(3)—“

TABLE
Type of proceedings Lower standard fee Lower fee limit Principal standard fee Upper fee limit
Jury trials (including any case prepared for trial in which no jury was sworn)  £129.50 £179 £249.50 £312
London rate £139.00 £186 £261.50 £326
Guilty pleas  £81.50 £110 £175.00 £226
 London rate £87.50 £114 £185.50 £235
Appeals against conviction  £51.00 £68 £153.00 £233
 London rate £54.50 £70 £159.00 £244
Appeals against sentence  £36.25 £52 £93.00 £131
 London rate £39.25 £54 £98.00 £135
Committals for sentence  £42.50 £51 £97.75 £141
 London rate £45.00 £53 £103.00 £145
ADVOCACY IN RESPECT OF BAIL APPLICATIONS  £26.25   
London rate £28.75   
ATTENDANCE AT COURT (INCLUDING WAITING) WHERE COUNSEL ASSIGNED  £21.40 per hour   
TRAVELLING  £18.50 per hour   ”;
(b) in paragraph 4(10), for “£29.50” there shall be substituted “£30.00” and for “£31.50” there shall be substituted “£32.00”;
(c) in paragraph 4(11), for “£10.75” there shall be substituted “£10.90”.
5 
Part III of Schedule 1 shall be amended by substituting the following for paragraph 8(1):—“
8 

(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (1A), standard fees are payable in accordance with the Table below:—

Type of proceedings Lower standard fee Lower limit Higher standard fee Higher limit
Category 1  £144.25 £268 £346.00 £463.75
 London rate £185.50 £344 £440.00 £581.50
Category 2  £254.50 £460 £583.00 £767.25
 London rate £326.50 £584 £732.50 £934.75
Category 3  £229.75 £406 £520.25 £709.50
 London rate £290.50 £493 £611.00 £755.25
(1A) Where the work was done by a franchisee, standard fees are payable in accordance with the Table below:–

Type of proceedings Lower standard fee Lower limit Higher standard fee Higher limit
Category 1  £148.25 £276 £357.00 £478
 London rate £191.00 £354 £453.00 £598
Category 2  £262.25 £474 £601.00 £790
 London rate £336.25 £602 £755.00 £963
Category 3  £236.50 £418 £536.00 £730
 London rate £299.25 £507 £629.00 £778”;
6 
Part I of Schedule 2 shall be amended as follows–
(a) in paragraph 9, for “£19.00” there shall be substituted “£19.25”;
(b) in paragraph 10, for “£10.75” there shall be substituted “£10.90”;
(c) The following shall be substituted for the Table following paragraph 11–“

Type of proceedings Standard basic fee
Jury trials (including any case prepared for trial in which no jury is sworn) £221.50
Guilty pleas £117.00
Appeals against conviction £117.00
Appeals against sentence £73.50
Committals for sentence £73.50
Standard appearance fee £46.50 
Standard refresher fee  

(1) Half day £81.75 

(2) Full day £158.25 

(3) More than a full day £238.00 
Standard written work fee £30.00 ”.
7 
In Part II of Schedule 2 the following shall be substituted for Table 1 following paragraph 5:–

TABLE 1: JUNIOR COUNSEL
Court Type of proceedings Basic fee Full day refresher fee Subsidiary fees
    Attendance at consultations, conferences & views Written work Attendance at pre-trial reviews, applications and other appearances
Magistrates' court All cases Maximum amount: £468 Maximum amount: £162 £29.25 per hour Minimum amount: £14.50 Maximum amount: £51.25 Maximum amount: £94.00
Crown Court Jury trials Maximum amount: £545.50    
 Cases prepared for trial in which no jury is sworn Maximum amount: £317.75    
 Guilty pleas Maximum amount: £192.25  £33.50 per hour Minimum amount: £16.75 Maximum amount: £58.25 Maximum amount: £99.50
 Appeals against conviction Maximum amount: £210 Maximum amount: £178.75   
 Appeals against sentence Maximum amount: £107.50    
 Committals for sentence Maximum amount: £107.50    
Mackay of Clashfern, C.
Dated 5th March 1996We consent,
Simon Burns
Derek Conway
Two of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury
Dated 7th March 1996