We have a Legal Aid franchise in family law. This means our solicitors have the authority to grant emergency legal aid for certain areas of family law.
Legal aid can help you meet the costs of legal advice, family mediation, and representation in a court or tribunal. Whether you qualify for legal aid depends firstly on the nature of your case and secondly on your financial situation. If the nature of your case qualifies for legal aid, you will then be required to provide evidence of all your finances. In the first instance, a telephone discussion with one of our caseworkers may provide an indication. If it seems to us that you may be eligible for legal aid at that stage, we will ask you to provide a full documentary financial disclosure to confirm eligibility.
At Piperjuris, we take a personalised approach to each legal aid application, assessing them on a case-by-case basis. To qualify for legal aid, you will need to meet a series of key criteria - means and merits tests. You will need to show that your case is eligible for legal aid, your problem is serious, and you cannot afford to pay for legal costs. We understand that each case is unique, and we consider important factors such as the type of case and your financial circumstances.
There is no means and merits test for cases involving care proceedings, so legal aid is automatic. However, a means and merits test will be applicable in all other cases, and supporting evidence will be required. The merits test assesses the merits of your case, including the likelihood of success and the benefit to you. The means test looks at both your income and capital to assess your financial eligibility for legal aid.
Legal aid does not always cover all your costs. On some occasions, you may be required to pay some of the costs back or pay them upfront. However, access to legal aid is still sure to help ease the financial burden.
To book a free consultation and obtain further information on the law relating to your family law case, please call us on 02039413784.