Legal aid or lawful support refers to the use of public funds to help to pay for legal counsel, family arbitration and court or tribunal procedures. A legal agency stays in charge of providing legal aid in the UK. The
Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 is meant to look after the legal aid from 1 April 2013.
There are usually three discussions for legal aid:
1. Scope – The concern lies within the range of legal aid
2. Means test – You are unable to pay for your own legal expenses.
3. Merits test – The likelihood of success, the levelheadedness of the costs, and whether a sensible individual would use their own money to pay for the lawsuit.
Legal aid is known to compensate towards the rates or fixed charges of a solicitor for your legal case. According to some of the best law firms in London, there are different types of legal aid:
- Legal Help – a solicitor can counsel you and negotiate with the other party but cannot exemplify at court.
- Family Mediation – a solicitor can offer support in negotiation with the other party by means of
arbitration.
- Legal Representation – the solicitor can make your case and indicate you in court or position for a barrister to characterize you in court.
Most family cases will be considered verified; so you will have to depict that you cannot choose to pay legal overheads. You will be needed to provide information about your earnings, advantages, savings, property and shares and those of your partner.
In a few of scenarios, you can get legal aid regardless of your financial means. Non means tested legal aid is ready to avail if your child is related of care or monitor proceedings. You may be eligible for legal aid for some commands, such as a non-molestation order, but you might be decided to make an involvement.
It is strongly advised to consult one of the law firms in London or approach a legal aid solicitor in person.
The solicitor should need to apply to the Legal Aid Agency for expenses management. You may be required to furnish documents to the Legal Aid Agency within particular time frames.
If the application is completely through, the Legal Aid Agency would discharge a legal aid certificate which will state the amount of money that can be thrown on your case and the kind of legal assistance that you have been settled.
Legal aid is available for the following family issues:
- family conciliation
- applications for a non-molestation order or livelihood order;
- applications for a preventive order under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997;
- applications for a Child Arrangements Order,
- depiction for children who are made party to private family law proceedings;
- applications for compulsory marriage protection orders;
- proceedings brought by the local authority for a care order or supervision order;
- cases where your child has been or is about to be taken out of the UK without your consent;
- exceptional situations, where the rejection of legal aid would infringe your rights under the
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) or your EU rights to legal representation.