Disbursements, including independent experts

Maximum hourly rates for experts are as follows.

  Psychiatrists Psychologists
On or after 1/4/13: Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013/422 £135 £90
On or after 2/12/13: Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) (Amendment) Regulations 2013/2877 £108 £93.60

Travelling can be claimed at £40 per hour.

There are no fixed rates for social workers and the LAA will accept ‘reasonable’ rates, and want to see three quotes.

Clear and detailed justification for obtaining expert reports, and attendance at hearings, should be given on the file.

There is no mechanism (except in certificated cases) of obtaining prior authority from the LAA to incur disbursements.

Some firms include a ‘you get paid when and as much as I get paid’ clause into letters of instruction.

From 1 September 2014 the LAA will not pay travel expenses to court for journeys within a 10 mile radius of the court unless there is justification on the file, although the hourly rate for travel time is still payable. They do not treat the Tribunal as a court for this purpose.

INFORMATION




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