Key messages for legal aid suppliers - July 2021

The LSA has issued the key messages for legal aid suppliers for July 2021.

Data security

Practitioners’ attention is urgently re-drawn to the document entitled Terms and Conditions of using LAMS.

Passwords

• Users must NOT share or disclose their login details for LAMS to ANYONE (this includes the LSA Support Team).
• For forgotten nidirect login details (email address, password, issues with one time/long term code) you should contact 0300 200 7868 or email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.
• To regenerate your LAMS personal identification number (PIN), users must login to LAMS and select the ‘Forgotten your personal identification number’ link. This will send a new PIN to the registered email address associated to your individual LAMS account.
• Users must change their login details whenever there is any indication of possible login compromise.
• You must keep your login details for LAMS Services secure. You will be deemed to be responsible for all activity and information submitted to the Services carried out under your username and password.

Access to LAMS

All LAMS users including administrative and non-legally qualified staff within a business who need to access and input to LAMS must create an ‘other employee account’.

Users must create a nidirect account before they create their LAMS account. There is a different procedure for administrative and non-legally staff from that of legally qualified staff in that they do not need to produce documents and be verified. Further information on how to create a nidirect and LAMS account can be found in Section 4 of the LAMS Supplier Manual.

Departmental consultation on family law fees and additional information gathering

The Enabling Access to Justice Division within the Department of Justice published a public consultation on the introduction of standard legal aid fees for solicitors in Article 8 and Article 50 proceedings under the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, in the Family Proceedings Court. This Consultation for the introduction of standard legal aid fees closes on 24 September 2021.

In addition to the public consultation, the Department also wishes to gain further insight into the experience of conducting cases which fall into the scope of the consultation. To support this, the Department has published a questionnaire aimed at solicitors who have experience of representing citizens in Article 8 and Article 50 proceedings. The closing date for the Article 8 and Article 50 cases in the Family Proceedings Court - Solicitor Stakeholder Questionnaire is 1 September 2021.

What you might have missed

Please note that the LSANI have published the following on the Agency’s website:

• Circular ‘LSA 06-21 – Migration of LAMS to New Hosting Infrastructure’ which can be located within the ‘2021 circulars’ area.
• ‘LSA Operational Performance – June 2021’ which can be located on the ‘LSA Operational Performance’ page under the main ‘Useful information for legal aid suppliers’ area.
• Circular ‘LSA 07-21 – High Cost Cases - Estimates of Cases Exceeding £100,000' which can be located within the ‘2021 circulars’ area.

Notes to editors: 

Please note that printable PDF versions of the key messages are located within the 'Useful information for legal aid suppliers' page under the title 'Key messages'.

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