Family, Divorce & Separation

Legal Aid

What is legal aid?

Legal aid (or public funding) is a system where the government pays all or part of your legal costs when you cannot afford them yourself. It enables people to get legal advice and representation from a solicitor or other legal advisor.

In some cases you may be required to make a contribution towards the costs and you may have to repay the costs if you receive property or money from a settlement.

Will I qualify for legal aid?

In order to get legal aid you have to be assessed according to the government’s criteria. We can carry out this assessment and tell you if you are entitled to claim legal aid.

Currently, if you are on certain benefits, such as income support, income based jobseekers allowance or guaranteed state pension credit you should be eligible for legal aid. If you are on a low income you may also qualify.

What types of work is legal aid available for?

Solicitors have to have a legal aid franchise to be able to offer legal aid. Graysons solicitors are able to offer legal aid for the following types of work.

• Family law including divorce and disputes about children
• Medical negligence compensation claims