Legal aid software for immigration and asylum cases 

The Standard Civil Contract outlines rules for billing, matter starts, and scope of work. The software incorporates these rules into its framework, so every claim is mapped against contract categories. It prevents non-claimable work from being billed and flags potential compliance issues before submission. This ensures providers stay within the terms of their LAA contract.

Lawsyst Immigration and asylum legal aid billing software is a digital platform designed to help UK-based law firms, solicitors, and nonprofit providers manage billing under the Legal Aid Agency (LAA). It ensures compliance with strict billing codes, tracks casework in asylum and immigration matters, captures disbursements like interpreter fees, and automates claim submissions through CCMS (Client and Cost Management System). The software reduces administrative errors, speeds up payment, and ensures lawyers are properly reimbursed for their time.

Lawsyst Immigration and asylum law is tightly regulated by the LAA. Firms must log activities under specific categories, apply fixed-fee or hourly billing correctly, and submit claims in approved formats. Generic billing tools don’t account for these complexities, resulting in rejected or delayed payments. Specialised software is tailored to immigration legal aid work, ensuring compliance while also saving time, reducing risk, and maximising recovery of billable hours.

Yes. Judicial review cases often fall outside standard fixed-fee categories and require specific billing structures. The software separates JR cases, allows hourly billing, and provides templates for Exceptional Case Funding (ECF). It also tracks disbursements for counsel’s fees, ensuring claims are complete and compliant.

Fast-track asylum cases require quick turnaround and accurate logging. The system includes fixed-fee templates for fast-track claims, auto-generates invoices once tasks are complete, and ensures all disbursements (e.g., interpreters) are linked. This reduces the chance of missing claims under high-pressure timelines.

Lawsyst immigration billing platforms connect directly to CCMS, allowing providers to prepare, upload, and submit claims electronically. They include CCMS-compatible templates, autofill functions, and validation checks that prevent errors. By syncing with CCMS, these systems reduce double data entry, eliminate formatting mistakes, and increase the speed of claim approval.

Yes. Immigration billing software allows providers to manage ongoing or legacy cases billed under older contracts. It keeps separate billing categories and ensures that claims are aligned with the correct contract year, preventing confusion between current and past regimes.

Yes. Lawsyst Immigration and asylum cases in the UK fall under different billing structures depending on type and stage. For example, initial asylum applications are billed under fixed fees, while appeals or judicial reviews may be billed hourly. The software automatically applies the correct scheme, tracks thresholds for “escape fee” cases, and ensures providers get paid the maximum permitted under legal aid rules.

Rejected claims usually occur because of missing documents, incorrect time recording, or failure to follow LAA coding rules. Lawsyst Immigration billing software includes built-in validation checks, automated warnings, and prompts to upload required documents. It ensures each claim aligns with the LAA’s requirements, reducing the likelihood of rejection or clawback during audits.

Absolutely. Immigration legal aid covers both controlled work (asylum, immigration applications, and appeals) and licensed work (higher-cost cases requiring a legal aid certificate). The software separates these categories, applies correct billing structures, and ensures that licensed work is billed against certificates while controlled work follows fixed-fee/hourly rules.

Appeals often involve complex evidence bundles, interpreter use, and multiple hearings. The software allows practitioners to record each activity separately, categorise disbursements, and generate structured bills under controlled legal representation (CLR). It supports hourly billing where applicable and ensures case activities are properly aligned with claimable categories.

Yes. The system includes diary and deadline features, reminding providers of tribunal filing dates, hearing schedules, and LAA reporting deadlines. This ensures timely compliance and avoids missed billing opportunities due to late submissions.

Yes. Interpreter and translation costs are frequent in immigration and asylum cases. The software enables providers to log interpreter attendance, upload receipts, and categorise translation services under LAA-compliant disbursement codes. This prevents underclaiming and ensures these vital third-party costs are reimbursed.

Medical evidence is vital in many asylum cases. The software allows providers to log expert costs, attach invoices, and assign them to the correct client file. It also checks whether prior authority from the LAA was required and alerts providers to missing authorisation, avoiding rejection of the claim.

Yes. Each billing entry can be tied to a specific activity — client interview, appeal drafting, interpreter session, or tribunal attendance. This makes claims transparent and ensures each entry can be justified during audits.

Exceptional case funding requires detailed justification and is often scrutinised by the LAA. Billing software provides templates for ECF applications, allows practitioners to track additional time spent, and separates this work from standard fixed-fee billing. This ensures providers claim everything they are entitled to while staying compliant with ECF rules.

Yes, where LAA rules allow travel claims (e.g., attending tribunal or detention centre visits), the software provides a travel time category. It ensures time is logged under the correct code and that mileage or public transport costs are captured for disbursement claims.

Compliance reporting is critical because the LAA conducts audits and can claw back payments if billing doesn’t meet regulations. The software generates detailed activity logs, audit trails, and compliance reports that show work done, who did it, and how it maps to LAA categories. These reports give firms peace of mind during audits and strengthen their ability to defend claims.

Legal Help is the entry-level form of immigration legal aid, covering advice and initial applications. The system provides fixed-fee billing templates for Legal Help cases, automatically applies escape fee rules if exceeded, and generates compliant claims to submit to the LAA.

Yes. Lawsyst immigration casework is paperwork-heavy, but billing software automates much of the admin: pre-built templates, automated compliance checks, auto-generated invoices, and direct submission to CCMS. This reduces time spent on billing and frees up solicitors to focus on legal work and client advocacy.

Yes. Upper Tribunal appeals are more complex than First-tier cases and often involve hourly billing. The software allows detailed time recording, manages disbursements such as barrister fees, and generates structured invoices to meet LAA rules for higher tribunal work.

Yes. Disbursements such as expert medical reports, psychiatric assessments, DNA tests, and travel costs can be logged in the system. The software allows providers to attach receipts, categorise them under LAA-approved expense codes, and ensure they are included in claims.

The system automatically logs each new case as a matter start, ensuring providers don’t exceed their allocated quota. It generates reports showing how many matter starts have been used, what categories they fall under, and how many remain available.

Escape fee cases occur when time spent on a fixed-fee matter exceeds three times the fixed fee value. The software automatically tracks time against the fixed-fee threshold and alerts practitioners when a case qualifies for escape fee billing. It then switches to hourly billing to ensure maximum recovery.

Yes. Pre-built templates allow practitioners to quickly draft grounds of appeal while ensuring that time spent drafting is logged automatically. These templates reduce duplication and streamline billing.

Yes. Immigration providers must track matter starts (the number of new cases they are permitted to open under their LAA contract). The software automatically counts matter starts, ensures they are properly coded, and generates reports to prevent exceeding allocated limits.

Detained fast-track cases require urgent action. The software includes workflows specific to detention centre hearings, captures intensive time spent preparing urgent applications, and ensures billing entries reflect the exceptional speed and intensity of the work.

For asylum and immigration appeals, CLR requires detailed billing records. The software provides CLR templates, ensures evidence of work done is captured, and generates compliant invoices. It also tracks disbursements like counsel fees and ensures they are logged correctly.

Yes. By analysing casework, billing patterns, and pending claims, the system generates revenue forecasts. This helps providers predict cash flow, plan staffing, and anticipate financial risks associated with delayed LAA payments.

Yes. Disbursements specific to ECF cases (such as psychiatric evaluations or overseas document verification) can be logged separately. The system ensures they are linked to the ECF claim and includes them in invoices for LAA approval.

Yes. Immigration cases progress through stages: initial advice, application preparation, appeal drafting, and hearings. The software tracks billable activities by stage, ensuring clarity in billing records and alignment with LAA stage-based payment rules.

Yes. Many disputes arise because of inconsistent records or missing supporting documents. With built-in validation and audit trails, the system ensures submissions are robust and reduces grounds for dispute. If disputes do arise, detailed logs support providers in defending their claims.

Yes. All forms of correspondence — letters, emails, phone calls — can be logged as billable activities where allowed. The system tracks duration, links them to cases, and categorises them for compliance.

Yes. Immigration cases often involve solicitors, caseworkers, and paralegals. Each user can log time, and the system records who did what. This ensures accurate allocation of billable activity and compliance with LAA requirements.

During audits, providers must demonstrate that billed work was actually done. The system generates detailed activity logs, case notes, and receipts. This level of record-keeping reduces audit stress and strengthens the provider’s compliance position.

Many asylum cases require country experts to support claims. The software allows providers to log expert costs, ensure prior authority is obtained, and link the expense directly to the case. This ensures reimbursement and reduces rejected claims.

Yes. Templates for asylum interviews, appeal grounds, and tribunal submissions are included, ensuring that case preparation is efficient and billing entries are properly categorised.

Yes. Where a case involves more than one funding certificate (for example, legal help transitioning to CLR, then to a certificate for judicial review), the system separates each funding stream and ensures billing is properly allocated.

For standard immigration applications (e.g., entry clearance, family reunion), the system applies fixed-fee billing. It ensures that if time spent exceeds three times the fixed fee, the case is flagged for escape fee eligibility and switches to hourly billing automatically.

Many providers use integrated platforms that combine case management and billing. This allows seamless workflow from client intake to final billing, with no duplicate data entry.

Immigration clients often have several linked matters, such as an asylum application, an appeal, and a subsequent fresh claim. The software allows providers to create linked case files under one client profile. Each matter has its own billing record but remains connected, making it easier to track total costs, manage matter starts, and avoid duplicate entries across cases.

Yes. While the software is built around LAA billing rules, many platforms allow customisation for individual firm workflows. For instance, firms can create their own billing categories, add internal approval steps, or set unique templates for recurring immigration case types, ensuring flexibility without compromising compliance.

Emergency injunctions, such as those preventing imminent removal, require urgent preparation. The system allows practitioners to log rapid-response work in real-time, flag the case as urgent, and generate invoices under licensed work billing. It ensures all urgent activities are captured so no work is left unclaimed.

Yes. Immigration billing software provides “work in progress” dashboards showing unbilled time and disbursements. This gives firms visibility of pending claims, helping with financial planning and ensuring nothing is overlooked before submission to the LAA.

Attendance at First-tier or Upper Tribunal hearings can be logged by date, duration, and participant. The system allows providers to record solicitor attendance, counsel involvement, and interpreter services, ensuring all eligible costs are included and properly categorised under tribunal billing codes.

Yes. For disbursements such as medical experts or country reports, providers often need LAA prior authority. The system includes workflows for prior authority requests, tracks approval status, and ensures that disbursements are not billed without the required authorisation.

Complex asylum cases often involve multiple witness statements, expert reports, and lengthy preparation. The system tracks the extra hours spent, applies escape fee rules automatically, and ensures that disbursements are logged comprehensively. This maximises recovery while maintaining compliance.

Yes. Paralegal and trainee solicitor work can be billed under legal aid if supervised and recorded correctly. The software allows multiple timekeepers to log activity, tags entries by role, and ensures the billing aligns with LAA rules for supervised staff.

Family reunion cases usually fall under fixed-fee legal help. The software applies the correct fixed fee, ensures disbursements like DNA testing are included, and checks whether escape fee thresholds are met. This prevents underbilling in cases requiring substantial evidence gathering.

Yes. Many platforms integrate with accounting tools such as Xero, QuickBooks, or Sage. This allows billing data to flow seamlessly into financial accounts, helping firms reconcile income from the LAA with their overall practice finances.

Immigration law often requires meticulous time logging, especially in hourly-billed matters. The software includes timers, pre-set activity codes, and automatic entry prompts. This ensures accurate capture of time spent on advice, drafting, or advocacy, reducing the risk of lost billable hours.

Yes. Larger firms with multiple offices can use centralised systems that allow branch-level reporting. This helps head offices monitor billing compliance across branches, track matter starts, and consolidate financial reporting while still giving each branch operational autonomy.

Fresh claims often require compiling new evidence and may involve substantial preparation. The system provides templates for fresh claim submissions, tracks time spent, and ensures disbursements like medical or country evidence are included, applying escape fee rules where appropriate.

Yes. Immigration providers must report outcomes for Legal Help cases, such as whether leave to remain was granted or an appeal was lodged. The system prompts providers to enter outcomes and generates LAA-compliant reports, ensuring accurate end-of-case billing.

When a client changes solicitors, each provider must bill for their own work. The software allows partial billing, records the transfer date, and ensures claims reflect only the work done before transfer, preventing overbilling and disputes with the LAA.

Yes. For each case, the system tracks authorised disbursement budgets. It alerts providers when they approach or exceed approved limits, ensuring compliance with LAA restrictions and preventing rejected claims due to overspend.

Family cases often involve multiple dependents, DNA evidence, and translation services. The software allows each dependent to be linked to one matter, logs multiple disbursements, and ensures billing reflects the true complexity of the case.

Yes. Supervisors can access reports on caseworker performance, billing recovery rates, matter start usage, and compliance. This helps firms meet LAA supervision requirements and ensures efficiency in immigration billing practices.

These cases typically fall under fixed-fee legal help. The system applies the appropriate fee, logs disbursements such as travel costs to detention centres, and checks whether the case qualifies for escape fee billing if preparation is extensive.

Yes. Some asylum cases involve evidence or documentation from overseas. The software allows providers to log international communication, translation, and evidence-gathering costs. It ensures all such disbursements are included and submitted under LAA-compliant codes.

Licensed work, such as judicial reviews or higher tribunal appeals, often allows staged billing at defined milestones. The software tracks progress against these milestones, generates interim bills, and ensures each stage is submitted with the correct supporting evidence. This improves cash flow by reducing the wait for payment until case completion.

Yes. Detained clients require urgent and frequent visits at removal centres or prisons. The software provides categories for detention centre work, logs travel and waiting time, and ensures these activities are billed correctly under controlled or licensed work rules.

Many immigration appeals involve counsel. The software allows firms to log counsel’s disbursements, attach fee notes, and submit them for LAA approval. It also tracks whether prior authority is needed and ensures the disbursement is linked to the correct certificate.

Yes. Asylum claims often cover spouses and children. The software allows providers to record dependents under one matter, track additional disbursements (e.g., interpreters for each child), and bill correctly without duplication.

The LAA requires that publicly funded work demonstrates efficiency and proportionality. The software generates reports showing how case activities align with outcomes, demonstrating that costs claimed are justified and proportionate to the case complexity.

Yes. The system identifies cases where billable hours or disbursements appear incomplete. For example, if tribunal attendance is recorded but no interpreter disbursement is claimed, the system will prompt review. This prevents providers from missing legitimate claims.

Family reunion appeals require detailed documentation and often involve multiple hearings. The system tracks preparation time, logs DNA and translation disbursements, and applies fixed or hourly billing correctly, ensuring providers recover the full value of the case.

Yes. Some platforms integrate with digital bundle preparation tools. This allows providers to link time spent on bundle creation directly to billing records and ensure costs for bundle production are properly claimed under LAA categories.

Urgent judicial reviews require immediate filing. The system enables real-time time logging, categorises urgent activities, and ensures claims are structured to reflect the intensity of work. It also supports staged billing under licensed work rules.

Yes. Many providers use contracted interpreter frameworks with agreed rates. The software stores these rates, applies them automatically, and ensures invoices match the framework agreement, reducing disputes and ensuring smooth reimbursement.

The system includes pre-submission validation against CCMS requirements. It checks whether mandatory fields are completed, whether disbursements have prior authority, and whether time entries are within permitted limits. This prevents rejections and reduces delays.

Yes. Some cases combine private and legal aid funding. The system allows providers to record which work is funded under legal aid and which under private terms, preventing cross-billing errors and ensuring clarity in financial records.

Country guidance cases involve extensive preparation and are billed hourly. The software tracks all preparation, manages counsel disbursements, and ensures that submissions to the LAA reflect the exceptional complexity of such cases.

Yes. Many platforms export billing data in formats directly accepted by CCMS, such as CSV or XML. This reduces manual entry, speeds up claim submission, and lowers the risk of transcription errors.

Vulnerable clients, such as victims of trafficking, may require extra time and interpreter support. The software allows providers to log additional time, categorise it appropriately, and include all disbursements, ensuring billing reflects the added complexity.

Yes. For certain immigration case types, fees are capped at set limits. The software applies caps automatically, prevents overbilling, and alerts providers when they reach the maximum allowable claim.

Fresh claims often involve gathering new expert or medical evidence. The system logs these disbursements, checks for prior authority, and ensures they are submitted with the claim, preventing rejections for missing authorisation.

Yes. Supervisors can run compliance reports across all cases, highlighting rejected claims, under-claimed matters, or potential breaches of LAA billing rules. This helps firms stay audit-ready.

Many asylum seekers lack ID or financial documents. The system provides templates for client eligibility forms, allows logging of exceptional evidence, and ensures billing claims include the necessary justification for LAA approval.

Yes. Pre-action correspondence in judicial reviews is claimable under licensed work. The software records time spent drafting letters before claim, tracks counsel involvement, and ensures these costs are billed separately from the main JR proceedings.

If the LAA reduces or rejects part of a claim, providers may challenge the decision through costs assessment or appeal. The software keeps a full audit trail of work done, time logged, and disbursements. This evidence can be exported into structured reports, making it easier to justify claims and overturn unfair reductions.

Yes. Sometimes legal aid is granted retrospectively, especially for urgent work like injunctions. The system allows backdated billing entries, clearly flags them as retrospective, and ensures they are properly submitted under the granted certificate.

Many charities and non-profits hold LAA contracts. Billing software is tailored to their needs, offering low-cost cloud solutions, shared user access, and automated compliance checks. It helps smaller providers maximise recovery without needing large admin teams.

Yes. These cases are legally aided and often involve complex evidence. The software provides templates for trafficking claims, ensures vulnerability-related disbursements (e.g., psychological assessments) are logged, and applies escape fee rules where necessary.

Bail applications for detained clients are high-pressure and time-sensitive. The software allows urgent cases to be flagged, ensures time spent is captured accurately, and generates compliant fixed-fee or hourly bills depending on the case structure.

Yes. The system flags any disbursement logged but not yet claimed. This prevents providers from missing costs like interpreter invoices or expert reports, which are often overlooked under pressure.

Judicial review appeals require detailed records of preparation, filing, and hearings. The software captures all time entries, manages barrister disbursements, and ensures staged billing is applied correctly under the LAA’s licensed work structure.

Yes. The LAA requires proof of client means, such as bank statements or proof of benefits. The software allows secure upload and storage of documents, linking them directly to billing claims. This ensures claims are backed by evidence at audit.

Exceptional asylum support cases may fall outside standard categories. The system lets providers tag them as exceptional, apply ECF workflows, and track additional disbursements. This ensures billing reflects the true complexity of the work.

Yes. Beyond compliance, the system analyses revenue per case, average claim turnaround, and rejection rates. This helps firms understand profitability within their immigration legal aid work and identify areas to improve efficiency.

Some firms handle hundreds of immigration matters per month. The software automates repetitive billing tasks, applies fixed fees in bulk, and generates batch submissions to CCMS. This scalability ensures providers can manage volume without sacrificing compliance.

Yes. Some asylum cases involve evidence or proceedings in multiple jurisdictions. The software tracks international disbursements, logs communication with overseas lawyers, and ensures that only LAA-eligible costs are submitted.

Clawbacks occur when the LAA reclaims funds due to billing errors. The software prevents this by embedding compliance rules, prompting providers to attach all evidence, and maintaining audit-ready records. This reduces clawback risks significantly.

Yes. Some immigration cases move from fixed fee to hourly rates if escape thresholds are met. The software automatically switches billing modes, ensuring accurate claims throughout the case lifecycle.

The LAA sometimes scrutinises interpreter use. The system tracks interpreter attendance by session, client need, and language. Reports show justification for interpreter disbursements, protecting providers during audits.

Yes. Immigration often overlaps with community care (e.g., age dispute cases). The system allows tagging of crossover work, separating immigration and community care billing, and ensuring claims are submitted under the correct category.

The software generates consolidated annual reports on matter starts, outcomes, and billing. This ensures providers meet their end-of-year reporting obligations to the LAA quickly and accurately.

Yes. Immigration billing software securely stores closed case files for the required retention period. Archived cases remain searchable and can be retrieved instantly if selected for LAA audit.

For new providers, the system includes built-in guidance, compliance prompts, and pre-configured LAA templates. This reduces the learning curve and ensures new firms bill correctly from the start, avoiding costly mistakes.

The software saves time, reduces rejected claims, ensures compliance, and maximises billing recovery. For immigration and asylum specialists, it simplifies complex rules, automates claim preparation, and protects against audit risks. Ultimately, it allows providers to focus on client advocacy while maintaining financial sustainability under the LAA contract.

If there’s anything we haven’t covered here or you have any specific questions about your account, just let us know and we’ll be happy to answer them. If you’re not a customer yet but curious about our plans, contact us