Legal Aid
We pride ourselves upon the quality of service that we offer to all our clients. Foot Anstey has a contract with the Legal Services Commission enabling us to offer public funding where possible. We are fully committed to Legal Aid and representing those who cannot afford to pay.
Different Types of Legal Aid
There are different types of Legal Aid that may be able to assist you in the terms of your case. Initial assistance is called Legal Help which allows us to provide advice and assistance with legal problems. If further help is needed than we can proceed on the basis of a family help cover however this will be dependant on the nature and type of work needed . This is limited by how much time we can spend with you and does not cover any Court work
Following this you can obtain a Certificate to enable you to continue with your case. There may be conditions applied to your Certificate such as a financial condition or a condition about how much work we can do. Your solicitor will advise you if you have a condition on your Certificate.
If your case is urgent then a solicitor, if you meet the criteria, will exercise what is called devolved powers. However if the solicitor exercises devolved powers you must co-operate with the Legal Services Commission in any request that they may make of you and if you fail to do so you will have to pay the full costs of your case. This also applies if it is found that you do not qualify for legal representation because you do not qualify financially.
There are financial conditions for both capital and income in relation to applying for Legal Aid. The Legal Services Commission on their website at www.clsdirect.org.uk contains a Legal Aid calculator which you can use to find out if you would qualify for Legal Aid.
You also have to show you have a legal case on the facts that require help. A test the Legal Services Commission use is would a private paying person take or defend this action?
In some cases you may be offered Legal Aid subject to making a regular monthly payment. Again this will be offered to you by the Legal Services Commission and if you accept it, full Legal Aid will be granted. If you then have to repay your Legal Aid any monthly contributions you have made will be set against the legal costs.
In some situations you may have to repay your Legal Aid. This is known as the Statutory Charge. This normally applies in cases such as family and clinical negligence/personal injury where you will have recovered money or property. There are some exemptions to this and your solicitor will be able to tell you what they are.
Legal Aid is here to help those who cannot afford solicitors’ costs and is always something that your solicitor will be happy to discuss with you.
For initial advice, please contact:
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Vanessa Priddis on 01392 411211
