Public Funding
Financial Legal Assistance for family matters
If you need legal advice and assistance but you cannot afford to pay for legal fees privately, help is at hand. family matters you may be eligible to receive legal advice under the Legal Help Scheme which is provided by the Legal Services Commission.
Legal Help and Family Help (Lower)
In order to be eligible for the scheme you must not have savings or capital of more than £8,000 or a gross income per month of £2657. The first £100,000 of capital in your home is ignored as is £100,000 of your mortgage. Your disposable income should not be more than £733 per month.
Your gross income is calculated by adding together all the money you have coming in, before tax or national insurance is deducted. This includes any overtime payments, Child benefit and any other benefits, maintenance or other money that you may receive. Although all your incomings are included in calculating your gross income, not all your outgoings will be deducted from this figure in calculating your disposable income. Your outgoings that will be deducted are tax, National Insurance, mortgage or rent payments and childcare costs because of work as well as an allowance for each dependant. Household bills and expenses are not included.
Alternatively if you are in receipt of Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-based Employment and Support Allowance you may automatically be eligible under the scheme.
Family Help (Higher) or Legal Representation
In relation to family matters that require representation at the court, you may be entitled to receive further financial help under the Family Help (Higher) or Legal Representation Scheme. Before receiving additional help you will be means and merits tested. If you are eligible for such financial help you will have to contribute towards the cost of legal representation. At the end of the matter the Legal Services Commission does have a right to seek reimbursement of legal costs against any money or property recovered or preserved in the proceedings.
The above schemes may sound rather complicated, however our solicitors are more than happy to discuss these with you in more detail when you call to arrange a meeting.
We also offer Public Funding in some circumstances in Clinical Negligence cases.
