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SCAP billing tips
Submit all accounts on the LSS criminal billing form. Accounts submitted in a narrative format will be returned to you to be completed correctly.
Send all accounts marked "Private & Confidential; Attention: Case Management Assistant." If you send your bills to Tariff Services, payment of your account may be delayed.
Preparation time
General preparation is the actual preparation time authorized up to the start of the preliminary inquiry or trial, and during the preliminary hearing or trial on days when the court is not in session. Please maintain time sheets or dockets to track preparation time, but do not submit them with each account. LSS reserves the right to conduct post-payment audits up to two years after the payment of accounts. Your time records will be requested at that time.
Additional daily preparation is the actual preparation time authorized up to a daily maximum as set out in your letter of authorization. It is authorized based on each day in court during the preliminary inquiry or trial. Daily preparation does not apply to court dates that are adjourned without any evidence called, substantive arguments made, or rulings issued by the presiding trial judge. Work performed on days when the court is not in session should be billed as general preparation time.
Billing codes
The billing codes for SCAP are as follows:
Tariff item |
Summary |
Indictable |
Major |
|---|---|---|---|
| General preparation — Senior counsel | 8550 | 8100 |
8202 |
| General preparation — Junior counsel | 9010 | 9100 |
9202 |
| Daily preparation — Senior counsel | 8548 | 8105 |
8252 |
| Daily preparation — Junior counsel | 9012 | 9105 |
9252 |
| Court attendance — Senior counsel | 8569 | 8120 |
8460 |
| Court attendance — Junior counsel | 9020 | 9120 |
9460 |
Preparing your accounts
Bill general preparation time as a block indicating the total number of hours expended during the billing period. Bill daily preparation time on separate lines and only for the days you are in court. Bill court time on separate lines indicating the service date and whether the court time was a.m. or p.m.
Services prior to setting the SCAP budget
Services billable under the block fee tariff and completed prior to the determination of a budget may be billed on the block fee. You may also bill for preparation completed prior to the budget meeting, as long as it is clearly outlined in the budget proposal or brought to the attention of the case review lawyer at the meeting. Once the budget is determined, bill all future services except bail reviews on an hourly basis. Bail reviews are authorized by the Appeals Section and paid in accordance with the block fee.
Disbursements
All disbursement requests other than those addressed during the SCAP teleconference must be made in accordance with the Disbursements section of the Guide to Legal Aid Tariffs. Please complete a Request for Authorization of Disbursements form for each request. Make sure to provide sufficient detail explaining why the expense is reasonable and necessary to properly represent your client. In addition, where the services of an expert are requested, please provide an estimate of the total cost including the hourly rate and number of hours required.