Many people are of the opinion that Legal Aid is no longer available in relation to Family Law matters, since the substantial cuts to funding in April 2013.
Areas of family law where Legal Aid is still available
It is true that the restrictions for Legal Aid have become tighter over the last year and a half, however it still exists in its full entirety, regardless of your income or assets if the Social Services are involved with your children in relation to Pre-Proceedings (where the local authority have informed you that it is their intention to seek legal advice to go to Court regarding the care of your children) or Care Proceedings (where proceedings are about to or have already commenced regarding the care of your children), which not all parents are aware of. It is important that if the Social Services are involved with your children that you seek advice from a solicitor to see whether they can help you. This still applies if you are not directly involved in your child’s life.
All other family matters are assessed on a Merits and Means basis. Merits such as, do you actually have a legal case? Means such as, is your income below the threshold acceptable for Legal Aid? Since April 2013, the Legal Aid Agency, who is the body who provides Legal Aid, has also implemented a further condition. That is, in order to be eligible for Legal Aid, you must have proof that you have been a victim of domestic violence/abuse at the hands of the other party in proceedings.
How can Nelsons help?
At Nelsons, we have a team of Legal Aid specialists who can advise you on how you may satisfy the above criteria. Therefore if you think you should be entitled to Legal Aid but are not sure, please get in touch with Nelsons and we will be more than happy to assist you to ensure that you get the funding that you may be entitled to.
If you need advice on any family law matter, please contact our expert Family Law team on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form, and they will be happy to discuss your circumstances in more detail and give you information about the services that we can provide.