Crown Court fees (overview)
Crown Court criminal legal aid uses graduated fee schemes: litigator fees for firm preparation work and advocacy fees (AGFS) for court work. Amounts depend on offence class, pages of prosecution evidence (PPE), trial length, and outcome — use the LAA calculator for exact figures.
Litigator fees vs advocacy fees
Litigator (LGFS)
Paid to the solicitor firm for preparation: instructions, reviewing PPE, defence preparation, witnesses, instructing counsel, and administration.
Advocacy (AGFS)
Paid to the advocate for hearings: PTPH, mentions, trial, sentencing, appeals, and advocacy preparation where claimable under the scheme.
Both can apply to the same case. If a solicitor advocate does their own advocacy, fee rules still separate the litigator and advocacy elements — follow current LAA guidance.
Offence classes (A–K)
Crown Court offences sit in classes that drive base fees and PPE parameters. High-harm classes (e.g. homicide, serious sexual offending, robbery) sit in higher bands than volume summary-style offences remitted for sentence or tried on indictment.
Use the LAA offence class tools — do not guess class from the indictment alone if unsure.
What feeds the calculation
- Class — offence class and case type drive the fee structure.
- PPE — pages of prosecution evidence counted under the rules.
- Outcome — guilty plea, cracked trial, contested trial, appeal — each follows different tables.
PPE — broadly
Usually includes prosecution statements, exhibits, interview transcripts, and schedules as defined in the rules.
Usually excludes defence material, counsel's working notes, and many court-generated documents — check the current definition.
Examples (illustrative only)
Numbers below are rough illustrations. Always run the official LAA calculator before relying on any figure.
Example A — low class, guilty plea
Narrow PPE, early guilty plea at PTPH — combined litigator and advocacy totals may sit in the hundreds to low thousands depending on class and tables in force.
Example B — serious class, multi-day trial
High PPE and several trial days — litigator and AGFS components each rise; totals can reach five figures where rules allow.
Example C — cracked trial
Guilty plea on the day of trial — different uplift/crack rules apply than for an early plea; verify against the AGFS/LGFS tables for the relevant period.
Uplifts, conferences, QC-led cases
Additional fees may exist for certain conferences, views, and wasted preparation where justified. QC-led cases adjust junior advocacy entitlements. These rules change with scheme updates — follow the current regulations and LAA manuals.
Very high cost cases (VHCC)
Exceptionally large or complex matters may leave graduated schemes for individually negotiated contracts. Early identification, LAA engagement, and realistic costing are essential.
Official resources
- Legal Aid Agency — calculators and guidance
- Criminal Legal Aid Manual
- SI 2013/435 — remuneration regulations (as amended)
Related
Disclaimer: general information only — not billing advice. Schemes and rates change; verify every claim.