Reconsideration and Review
Reconsideration
Section 29 Legal Services Act 2000 (the Act) provides that an aided person or an applicant for legal aid has the right to request a reconsideration of any decision that has been made by the Agency.
The request will be considered by a different Grants Officer to the one who made the initial decision. The Grants Officer responsible for the reconsideration may take into account any new or additional information supplied by the person applying for the reconsideration. The result of the reconsideration will be sent to both the lead provider and applicant/aided person. The Agency may seek advice from a specialist adviser as part of the reconsideration process.
The Agency may decline to reconsider a decision if it has already reconsidered that decision or a decision relating to substantially the same issue.
There is no time frame for applying for a reconsideration.
You can find Form 11 Application for Reconsideration here.
Review - Legal Aid Review Panel
Part 3 of the Act established the Legal Aid Review Panel. The Panel is independent of the Agency. It comprises a Convenor who assigns a team of from one to three members to form a panel to review the decision of the Agency. Every Review Panel assigned must include one lawyer.
Section 54 provides that an aided person or an applicant for legal aid may apply to the Panel for a review of an Agency decision on the grounds that the Agency’s decision is “manifestly unreasonable” or “wrong in law”. A listed provider may seek a review on a remuneration decision on the same grounds.
Under Section 56(3)(a) of the Act, the Panel may require the Agency to provide all information relating to the decision and any reconsideration.
Applications to the Panel must be made within 20 working days, however the Convenor of the Panel may on application allow an extension in time.
To view the Legal Aid Review Panel decisions database, click here
Application for Review to Legal Aid Review Panel (including instructions for completion)
(pdf file, 56Kb)
(Word file, 147kb)
(download a Word template) For instructions on how to download and install please click here
Contact the Panel Administrator
Word template download instructions
Select your operating system for instructions on how to install the template on your machine
Windows 98
Windows 2000
Windows XP
How to use a Word template
Windows 98 Users
To download the LARP form, right mouse click here and select "Save Target As". Then follow these instructions to put the file in the right place on your computer.
This Template has been designed to run in Windows 98 (or later) using Word or Office 97. The file should be copied into your:
Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates directory or equivalent
If you are unsure where your User Templates are stored then:
From the Menu Bar select ToolsOptions
Select the FileLocations Folder
The directory will show alongside User Templates
Choose Modify if you wish to see the complete command line
Windows 2000
To download the LARP Form, right mouse click here and select "Save Target As". Then follow these instructions to put the file in the right place on your computer.
Windows 2000 buries template files in:
Profiles\[UserName]\Application Data\Microsoft Templates
[User Name] if your computer has been assigned a name (e.g. your name)
If you are unsure where your User Templates are stored then:
From the Menu Bar select ToolsOptions
Select the FileLocations Folder
The directory will show alongside User Templates
Choose Modify if you wish to see the complete command line.
Windows XP
To download the LARP Form, right mouse click here and select "Save Target As". Then follow these instructions to put the file in the right place on your computer.
Windows XP buries template files in:
C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates
[User Name] if your computer has been assigned a name (e.g. your name)
If you are unsure where your User Templates are stored then:
From the Menu Bar select ToolsOptions
Select the FileLocations Folder
The directory will show alongside User Templates
Choose Modify if you wish to see the complete command line.
How to use a Word Template
From the Word Menu select FileNew; select the template file named LARP Review.dot.
Complete the dialog boxes by typing in each field.
Use the TAB KEY to get from field-to-field.
You do not need to complete all the fields (you can leave them blank).
OK must be actioned by a mouse click
