Legal Aid Contract success

Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors have had their Legal Aid Agency contract renewed to continue to be able to provide legal services to clients who are eligible for legal aid in relation to certain types of family matters.

Chris Myles, Director and Head of Family Law Team said “I’m pleased to confirm that the firms applications for new legal aid contracts in family law has been successful. We have had to go through an intensive process to make the applications, be granted provisional approval and finally a verification stage. All passed with flying colours.”

“The contract with the Legal Aid Agency means that where appropriate, we can obtain legal aid for our family clients to help them access legal services. Our Family Law team handles many legal aid cases for clients each year and our Legal Aid contract renewal ensures we can continue to deliver this service to those in need.”

Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people otherwise unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid can help meet the costs of legal advice, family mediation and representation in a court or tribunal.

To be eligible for legal aid, you’ll usually need to show that your case is eligible, the problem is serious and you can’t afford to pay for legal costs.

injunctions against a violent or abusive partner or family member, if you or your child have suffered or are at risk of violence or abuse, forced marriages, if your child has been or is about to be taken out of the country without your consent or if you have been served with proceedings under the Hague Convention.

Your legal adviser will usually apply for legal aid on your behalf and the legal aid rules are different in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Legal aid is dependent on your financial position and also the strength of your case. You can find out if you're eligible by using the Government website https://www.gov.uk/civil-legal-advice which includes an online tool to check if you can get legal aid.

For more information about Legal Aid, you can contact the Family Law team at Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors on 01904 624185 and The Law Society leaflet about Legal Aid can be downloaded here.