Support
Frequently Asked Questions
Guidance for UK legal aid solicitors, barristers, and caseworkers instructing expert witnesses within Legal Aid Agency rate schedules.
General Enquiries
- Standard quote requests are processed within 24 hours. Each quote is structured for direct upload to CCMS and capped at current Legal Aid Agency codified hourly rates for your selected expert discipline.
- We support expert evidence for First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), Upper Tribunal (IAC), High Court judicial review proceedings, and Home Office pre-decision and further submissions stages across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
- Country condition reports, Istanbul Protocol medico-legal scarring reports, psychiatric and psychological evaluations, and forensic linguistic analysis — all instructed within LAA rate ceilings.
- Submit an instruction bundle via our formal intake form with your case brief, tribunal parameters, and LAA prior authority status. Reports are prepared in accordance with CPR Part 35 or FPR Part 25 as applicable.
- Yes. All instruction parameters and case documentation are handled under strict UK GDPR-compliant data protection standards. We maintain no communication pathways with the Home Office, UKVI, or enforcement agencies.
- Yes. The platform serves legal aid solicitors, barristers, counsel, and refugee charities requiring tribunal-ready expert evidence within legal aid funding constraints.
Legal Aid Rates & CCMS
- Legal Aid Agency codified expert witness hourly rates are statutory fee caps set by the LAA for expert evidence instructed under legal aid. All quotes issued through Legal Aid Expert Witness are structured strictly within these caps to support CCMS prior authority applications.
- Submit a Fast-Track CCMS Quote Request via our portal with your case reference, expert discipline, and estimated hours. A structured PDF quote aligned to LAA codified rates is delivered within 24 hours, ready for direct CCMS upload.
- Yes. Country condition specialists, Istanbul Protocol medical experts, psychiatrists, and forensic linguists instructed through this platform operate strictly within current LAA codified hourly expert witness fee regulations.
- A CCMS statement of costs is the cost projection uploaded to the Client and Cost Management System when applying for prior authority to instruct an expert witness. Our quotes are formatted for direct CCMS compatibility.
Compliance & Standards
- CPR Part 35 of the Civil Procedure Rules governs expert evidence in civil proceedings, including judicial review. Expert reports must comply with the expert's overriding duty to the court and the procedural requirements set out in CPR Part 35.
- FPR Part 25 of the Family Procedure Rules applies to expert evidence in tribunal proceedings, including First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) and Upper Tribunal (IAC) appeals. All experts prepare reports bound to FPR Part 25 standards.
- No. Expert witness reports provide independent, court-qualified evidence to assist the tribunal. Legal Aid Expert Witness does not guarantee any legal outcome. All evidence is prepared in accordance with CPR Part 35 and FPR Part 25 without asserting definitive findings of fact.
- Every formal estimate and statement of costs is capped at current Legal Aid Agency codified hourly rates. Solicitors receive CCMS-ready cost projections structured for risk-free prior authority approval.
Still have questions?
Contact our intake team at cases@legalaidexpert.co.uk or submit a formal enquiry.