We are working with the Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) on responding to the MOJ’s consultation on the creation of an Interest on Lawyers’ Client Account (ILCA) scheme. The LAPG want to engage with as many legal aid practitioners and firms as possible to gather evidence about the likely impact of the proposed scheme on legal aid providers and client access.

We invite you all to complete this (very short) survey Legal aid provider survey: Help LAPG respond to the government consultation on the proposed Interest on Lawyers' Client Accounts Scheme. It will remain open until COP on 2 February 2026.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HGQTQBQ
The survey can be completed anonymously. Doing so will help us understand the likely impact of the proposals on legal aid providers and on clients. We understand that there are no plans to designate funds to enhance access to justice or legal aid. The consultation notes that:

‘At this stage, we do not propose designating the scheme’s income for specific access to justice projects, or endowing it to grant-making bodies, as is the case in some other jurisdictions. This is because core justice services in England and Wales require sustained investment across multiple areas. Given this context, earmarking ILCA income for narrow purposes to begin with could limit its beneficial impact. Instead, the funds can be directed to the areas of greatest need within the justice system.’

The consultation itself can be found here Interest on Lawyers' Client Accounts Scheme - GOV.UK

Deadline for responses is 9 February 2026.

We urge all legal aid providers to read this consultation and either submit a response or feed into the LAPG response by either completing their survey or sending us your thoughts directly by contacting us.