Fees and LAA Billing in Custody Note
The Fees tab brings together all the time information from across the attendance note and presents it as a structured billing record. Here is how to use it to support your LAA police station claims.
The Fees tab is the section of Custody Note designed specifically around the practical requirements of claiming under the police station legal aid scheme. It draws on time entries from across the note and presents them in a format that supports the standard LAA billing process.
How Time Entries Work
Time entries in the Fees tab correspond to the distinct phases of the attendance:
- Travel and waiting time (from instruction to arrival)
- Reading and reviewing the custody record
- Reviewing disclosure
- Client consultation
- Interview attendance
- Post-interview consultation
- Any additional attendance (for example, a bail review)
Each entry has a start time, an end time, and a description. The total time is calculated automatically. Where a previous tab — such as the Consultation tab — already captured start and end times, those times are carried through to the Fees tab automatically, reducing duplication.
Telephone Advice
Where the attendance included a period of telephone advice before physical attendance — which is separately claimable under the police station scheme — the Fees tab includes a distinct entry for this. Recording the time of the initial call and the duration of the telephone advice separately from attendance time ensures that the claim correctly reflects the work done.
Claim Categories
The police station scheme distinguishes between different claim types: attendance, telephone advice, and preparation. The Fees tab is structured around these categories to ensure that the time entries you record map correctly onto the claim form you will submit.
Exporting for Billing
The completed Fees section contributes to the PDF export of the full attendance note. The exported document includes a structured fees summary alongside the full attendance record. This can be used as the supporting documentation when submitting a claim, and can also be retained on file in the event of an LAA audit.
Retaining a copy of the complete exported note — including the fees section — means that if a claim is queried months or years later, you have a contemporaneous record of exactly what time was spent and why.
Note: This article is intended as general information for criminal defence practitioners in England and Wales. It does not constitute legal advice. Solicitors and accredited representatives should exercise their own professional judgment in each case. Law and practice may change; always verify current requirements with primary sources.