Quick guide to legal aid

Here follows a quick guide of how to apply for legal aid.

1. You are involved in a legal dispute with another party which you cannot resolve yourselves. You need help from a legal representative.
2. The first step is to contact your insurance company. The main rule is that you should make use of the legal protection cover in your insurance. Information can be found in your insurance policy.
3. You do not have any home insurance with legal protection cover. Or you are not allowed to use the legal protection cover. Contact a legal representative in your area to make an appointment for advice under the Legal Aid Act.
4. You have at least one hour's compulsory advice with a legal representative (an attorney or a trained lawyer). You and the other party resolve the dispute without needing to proceed with a lawyer in court.
5. You fail to arrive at a solution during advice and you apply for legal aid together with your legal representative. You send the application to the Legal Aid Authority.
6. The Legal Aid Authority reaches a decision about whether you are entitled to legal aid. If the dispute has already reached court the court will decide on legal aid.
7. The dispute is decided and your legal representative sends the bill to the Legal Aid Authority or to the court if the dispute has already reached the court.
8. The Legal Aid Authority makes a settlement i.e. it calculates how much you should pay. This is your legal aid fee. If you have paid any part of the fee to your representative during the case, this amount will be reduced from your decided legal aid fee. If you lose the dispute you could be required to pay part of the State’s costs. For more information, contact The Legal Aid Authority