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Guidance on Allocation of LAA Contingency Payments to BMIF’s Areas of Practice in the BMIF Renewal Form.

BMIF is aware that following the cyber-attack on the Legal Aid Agency (“LAA”) in May 2025, the LAA established a contingency payment scheme and that some Members received periodic payments based on their average income.

As the contingency payments are not made against specific cases, most Members cannot now readily allocate their receipts to the relevant BMIF practice area(s) for the purposes of renewing their insurance with BMIF.

Pending confirmation from the LAA on the final payments under the Legal Aid Scheme for the cases in respect of which Members have submitted requests for payments, Members who cannot allocate their receipts between BMIF’s practice areas should allocate receipts from the LAA under the contingency payment scheme to BMIF’s practice areas in the same proportion as their renewal declarations to BMIF for the 2025/26 policy year i.e. mirroring their receipts for the 2024 calendar year.

Once final payments have been made and the position regularised, Members are asked to contact BMIF with a view to confirming or correcting their fee declarations.  This may result in a premium refund to the Member, or a balancing payment being due from the Member for renewal of their 2026/27 policy with BMIF.