Legal Aid

The Law Store is a provider of legal aid.

What is Legal Aid?

Legal aid is a government programme which, in certain circumstances, can provide you with financial assistance to help pay for a lawyer. If certain matters arise, legal aid may be available for those who need a lawyer, but could not otherwise afford one.

Importantly, legal aid is considered a government loan. This means that in certain cases, you may be required to repay some, or even all of your legal aid. Whether or not this will be the case depends on various circumstances, such as your current financial situation, what assets you own, and whether or not you receive any money or property as a result of your case.

What Can Legal Aid Help With?

Legal aid may be provided in certain circumstances, and is primarily available for:

• Criminal matters;
  

  Certain family dispute matters; and

• In some cases, civil dispute matters

   

Eligibility For Legal Aid

In both family and civil matters, eligibility for legal aid depends on your income, assets, and, the type of legal case. For income, there are certain thresholds used to determine whether or not you will be entitled to legal aid, and these vary depending on your circumstances, for example, whether you are a single parent, whether you have a spouse or partner, and how many dependent children you have.

Applying For Legal Aid

To apply for legal aid, you will be required to fill out an application form. However, applying is simple and our friendly team here at The Law Store will be able to assist you with this. Although, if you are planning on coming in to apply for legal aid in respect of your legal matter, could you please assist us by bringing in proof of income, such as a bank statement or, if possible, payslips covering  the last 3 months.

Further Information

For further information regarding legal aid, please follow the link below to the Ministry of Justice's helpful website: