Message from Mr Justice Peel: Standard Orders – July 2026
I make this announcement with the authority of the President of the Family Division.
Discussions have taken place between the Standard Orders Group and the Legal Aid Agency (“LAA”) with a view to updating the recitals in the Standard Orders concerning the family advocacy scheme so as to provide the necessary information needed by the LAA to process claims for fees quickly and efficiently.
As a result of these discussions, the LAA has updated its document “The Family Advocacy Scheme: Information for the Judiciary” in edition 4 which was released in April 2026. That document is attached below.
Pursuant to these discussions, series 8 Public Law orders and compendium Order 7.0 in series 7 Private Law orders, all of which are contained in Volume 2 of the Standard Orders, have been modified to incorporate agreed wording for LAA purposes in respect of the Family Advocacy Scheme and the Qualified Legal Representative scheme. Orders 10.1 (non molestation order), 10.3 (occupation order) 11.1 (Order for linked criminal and care directions) and 24.5 (Order to enable QLRs to claim fees) have similarly been modified.
The LAA document confirms that costs apportionment wording in cases where a party is legally aided does not need to include a form of words such as “deemed a necessary and proportionate charge on the respondents’ public funding certificates”. Such wording does not affect the LAA’s ability to pay disbursements on assessment, and therefore is not required on the order.
The complete set of Volume 2 of the Standard Orders is attached. Volume 1 is unchanged but is also attached for convenience.
Mr Justice Peel
Judge-in-Charge of the Standard Orders