Legal Aid
Legal Aid can help you pay for some or all of your legal advice and representation. To access Legal Aid, you must show and provide evidence of:
- You have a low income and low capital (property / savings)
- You have a strong case
- Your case is covered by Legal Aid
Dependent on your income and capital, you may need to pay a contribution towards the costs.
Following major changes to Legal Aid in 2013, Legal Aid is no longer available for family matters, except for the following circumstances:
- Where you have evidence of domestic abuse against you or your children
- If Social Services are involved and they apply for a care order, supervision order or an emergency protection order
- If the person applying for Legal Aid is under 18 years old
- Injunctions (i.e. non-molestation order and/or occupation order)
- Forced marriage protection orders
- Your child has been, or is about to be, abducted out of the country without your consent
You can check to see whether you are eligible for Legal Aid here.
You can search for a solicitor in your area that offers Legal Aid here.
Family Mediation
If you meet the criteria, Legal Aid is also available for family mediation. The other party will receive their MIAM (Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting) and the first joint mediation meeting for free.
You can search for a family mediator here. Make sure you have ticked the box ‘provides mediation funded by legal aid’.