Our solicitors will be happy to advise you and help you to further understand whether you legal issue is one that will entitle you to apply for legal aid. There are different sets of circumstances to be considered depending on whether you have a civil or a criminal case. If you are dealing with civil legal issues, examples of those which may lead to entitlement are: Having certain financial or debt related issues; issues with respect to separation or divorce; or issues relating to your home. Where you are facing a criminal case, if you have been arrested and are in police custody, you are automatically entitled; however, if you are in court and have the ability to pay for some of your legal defence costs, you may have to do so.

With respect to your income, we have provided a link to a legal aid calculator. Answering the questions set forth here will roughly help you decide where you fall with respect to the second step denoted above. Once again, in overcoming the third hurdle and assessing whether you have a good chance of your case, you should contact a solicitor near you to discuss the merits of your case.

Of course even before a contentious legal issue arises, it is always advisable for you to know about what rights you do have; and so in addition to the financial aid that has been discussed above, there is also legal aid in the form of distribution of legal knowledge. There are many ways to source this knowledge, but a reliable place to start is here, where Legal Information Leaflets are available to the public so that they may have a greater understanding of their rights in different areas of the law.