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The Advice and Representation Service We offer free advice and representation to claimants referred by advice services in London . We can provide advice (casework) and also representation at Tribunals for:
and representation at
Referrals must be made by an agency, we cannot accept referrals from individuals. Please note due to the way we are funded, we may provide advice and casework without representation where appropriate. Representation LASA will determine the type of representation – oral or written. Referring agencies should inform their clients that LASA will determine the type of service provision, based on each individual case – for example; language, disability, point of law etc When to make the referral Due to LSC funding restrictions we are unable to see clients who have been advised by referral agencies with Legal Service Commission contracts that have either claimed a fixed fee under the Unified contract or Legal Help under the old contract. If the client was not assisted in the initial claim by an LSC funded worker in the same category of law it is recommended that the case be referred to LASA without further work that may incur a fixed fee i.e. lodging an appeal. Organisations without an LSC contract or those with a contract in a different category of law can refer as long as the client meets the eligibility criteria. LASA will accept referrals to provide advice and casework in the first instance from all agencies, but specifically, those agencies without the experience and ability to provide welfare benefits advice to their communities
Making a referral If you would like to make a referral to us, we need you to send us the following:
Where possible and practicable, requesting a statement of reasons before referral in appeal cases is a required. Also, an agency no longer needs to await for appeal date to make referrals. Download the referral form. (Word format). Right-click on the link to save the file to disk (Mac users, click and hold). We have weekly allocation meetings on Thursday afternoons. We aim to notify agencies of the outcome in writing within the next two working days. We do not contact the client directly unless we can take on the referral. If you need to know urgently whether your referral has been accepted we suggest you telephone us. Completing our referral form Please take care to complete the referral form fully. In particular, please ensure we have the following details
Legal Help eligibility We need to know if your client is eligible for ‘Legal Help' (sometimes still called ‘Legal Aid') Tick ‘yes' if you know your client is currently getting any of the following benefits:
If you know that they are not getting any of these benefits, they may still be entitled to legal help. You will need to know a bit more about their income and capital. You can check entitlement by using the LSC's online calculator - http://www.legalservices.gov.uk/civil/guidance/eligibility_calculator.asp If you have any questions please ring us on 020 7426 4476 before making the referral. The Unified Contract An LSC funded organisation making the referral should tick the referral box to confirm that work has not been or will not be claimed under the fixed fee. If the box is not ticked, the referral will be rejected After the appeal Our work on a case will end when the tribunal makes their decision unless it is necessary to apply for leave to appeal to the commissioners or for a set-aside. Any further work including pursuing arrears of benefit or linked benefit entitlement should be done by your agency. This will enable Lasa to close cases more quickly and therefore take on more referrals. If you have any questions about the above please call the Appeals Team on 020 7426 4476 |
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