Updates to the Criminal Bills Assessment Manual (CBAM) and Supervisor Guidance for the 2025 Crime Contract have taken effect today, 31 July 2026. These changes follow discussions with representative bodies on operational improvements.
Bespoke changes have been made to prison law funding, developed after discussions with the Association of Prison Lawyers (APL). The Prison Law chapter now provides greater clarity and practical guidance for providers and Legal Aid Agency (LAA) caseworkers, including on the Parole Board process and other core prison law issues.
The amendments also aim to reduce administrative burdens on providers across all criminal legal aid categories. These relate to remuneration for administrative activities, such as completing forms and other interactions with the LAA. The changes align criminal legal aid guidance more closely with existing civil legal aid arrangements to promote consistency.
General principles in CBAM for assessing costs related to telephone calls and letters have also been amended, which will have a wider impact across criminal legal aid cases. This also draws on wording from civil guidance to ensure a consistent approach.
Supervisor guidance has been updated to include paragraphs from the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) guidance on effective supervision, in line with SRA changes made on 12 June 2026.