B3: Better billing bulletin

Help us pay you faster!
The Better Billing Bulletin is put together by LAO’s Lawyer Services & Payments department as a resource for lawyers and their associated staff looking for information regarding tariff and billing practices.

Latest issue

Vol.60, August 2026: Billing requirements for articling students, notifying LAO of a change in financial circumstances, certificate effective date, and more

Past issues

2024

• Vol.59, December 2024: Docket requirements and times of day and Launch of new travel authorization request form
• Vol.58, June 2024: Reminder – Rules for the submission of accounts for legal aid services provided by articling students, Billing for the preparation and filing of BOC in Refugee Protection Division Matters (as previously communicated), Updates to the lawyer-assisted application for adults, and Tariff reform: corrections

2023

• Vol.57, Nov. 2023: Guaranteed Daily Rate (GDR), Court Transcript Fees (Ontario Regulation 145/22), and Billing for the preparation and filing of the Basis of Claim (BOC) in Refugee Protection Division Matters

2021

• Vol.56, Feb. 2021: LAO emergency COVID‑19 certificate changes: section 47 recovery, Interpretation during document finalization, Interpreters doing legal work, and Bail reviews, youth bail de novo applications and detention (Myers) reviews

2019

• Vol.55, Nov. 2019: Legal Aid Ontario may now obtain informations directly from courthouses, Reminder: fee waiver regulation, and Court and net costs (settlements): the difference and obligations

2018

• Vol.54, Nov. 2018: Transcripts for the Court of Appeal and Divisional Court, Account Submission Identifier, Reporting Costs and Settlements Online, and Billing tutorials

2017

• Vol.53, May 2017: Transcripts, hearing time billing reminder, Expanding certificate authorizations for mandatory second judicial pre-trials, and more
• Vol.52, Feb. 2017: Complete your 2017 self-report by the March 31 deadline, Applying for a tier level increase, Upcoming purchase order close process, and more

2016

• Vol.51, Oct. 2016: LAO expanding 2nd Judicial Pre-Trial (JPT) pilot project, New duty counsel forms, Discretionary payments after an audit, and more
• Vol.50, May 2016: Costs, settlements and contribution agreements, Assignment of judgement for costs, Contribution agreements, and more

2015

• Vol.49, Dec. 2015: New services available to lawyers, tips on how to bill faster and services that are available to lawyers to assist with certificate matters.
• Vol.48, Mar. 2015: Changes to duty counsel accounts, Certificate Disbursements
• Vol.47, Feb. 2015: Legal Aid Online portal maintenance, Changes to the declaration for private retainers, Staying up to date

2014

• Vol.46, Aug. 2014: Motion to get off the record, What to do if you are locked out of Legal Aid Online, Authorizing for cost orders, Disbursements for regfugee proceedings, Transcription services
• Vol.45, May 2014: Speedier payment of accounts, Private retainers, and New, improved electronic document submission

2013

• Vol.44, Dec. 2013: Block fee accounts, mid-level case management, judgement for costs, online account errors, avoiding breaches, disbursements
• Vol.43, July 2013: Clarified discretion guidelines, Service provider attribution in dockets, Suggestions for billing block fees
• Vol.42, Jan. 2013: ICON (Integrated Court Offences Network) data, Billing LAO for a contested trial, Billing paralegals and students

2012

• Vol.41, Aug. 2012: Updates to Block Fee Accounts, CFSA certificates and authorizations, Interpreter invoices

2011

• Vol.40, July 2011: When are the Block Fees Payable?, Block Fees & Charter Motions
• Vol.39, Feb. 2011: Expert Rates, Account Payments, Billing Gladue
• Vol.38, Jan. 2011: Dockets and your billing page, IFAX & Forms

2010

• Vol.37, Dec. 2010: Dockets, Attaching documents online, IFAX & Forms
• Vol.36, Nov. 2010: Dockets, IFAX & Forms
• Vol.35, Oct. 2010: Dockets
• Vol.34, Sept. 2010: IFAX & forms
• Vol.33, Aug. 2010: Block fees charge list
• Vol.32, July 2010: Criminal Tariff
• Vol.31, June 2010: Lawyer payent delays
• Vol.30, May 2010: Billing the defence of muitiple charges
• Vol.29, Apr. 2010: Regionalization
• Vol.28, Mar. 2010: Block fees, late billing reduction initiative
• Vol.27, Feb. 2010: HARDCAP, Expert rates
• Vol.26, Jan. 2010: Requests made simple!

2009

• Vol.25, Dec. 2009: Late billing reduction initiative
• Vol.24, Nov. 2009: Getting paid – our time commitments to you
• Vol.23, Oct. 2009: For speedy payment, attach your dockets online
• Vol.22, Sept. 2009: BCM appeal transcripts
• Vol.21, Aug. 2009: Faster payment of discretion accounts
• Vol.20, July 2009: Portal access to amendments/authorization and certificate status
• Vol.19, June 2009: Disbursements – all you need to know
• Vol.18, May 2009: Big Case Management (BCM)
• Vol.17, Apr. 2009: Discretion decisions localized
• Vol.16, Mar. 2009: Regular disbursementes do not require authorization
• Vol.15, Feb. 2009: Dockets, Hardcap
• Vol.14, Jan. 2009: Better Billing web conferences

2007-08

• Vol.13, Dec. 2008: Disbursements – pre-authorized
• Vol.12, Nov. 2008: Billing Online
• Vol.11, Oct. 2008: LAO accounts, acknowledging lawyer and agents
• Vol.10, Sepr. 2008: Messages on Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) pay slips
• Vol.9, Aug. 2008: LAO has moved
• Vol.8, July 2008: Billing appeal transcripts – completed transcripts
• Vol.7, June 2008: Discretion letters – factors to address
• Vol.6, May 2008: Random post-payment examination (PPE)
• Vol.5, Apr. 2008: Disbursements – back to basics!
• Vol.4, Mar. 2008: CFSA assessments – who pays?
• Vol.3, Feb. 2008: Privae retainers and the certificate effective date
• Vol.2, Jan. 2008: Billing errors slow down payment
• Vol.1, Dec. 2007: Revised Tariff & Billing Handbook