What is legal aid?

In Sweden it is a fundamental right to have your case heard by a legal representative, either in or outside court. Legal aid is a form of statutory social protection legislation that aims to help an individual who cannot get legal support in any other way. The right to legal aid is governed by the Legal Aid Act.

If you are involved in a legal dispute which you and the other party are unable to resolve between yourselves you could need help from a legal representative. A legal representative is an attorney or trained lawyer. In practice, legal aid is financial support provided by the State to those who are unable to pay for a legal representative. The legal aid covers part of the costs for the legal representative, but also costs relating to evidence and other expenditure. The purpose of legal aid is to give you the opportunity to have your case heard.

Being granted legal aid does not automatically mean that the State pays all the costs for your legal representative. The basic idea is that you should contribute to the cost to the extent you can afford. You can receive legal aid for the whole or part of the cost of a legal representative up to 100 hours. In special cases the court can extend legal aid. Legal aid is the difference between the costs that arise for your legal representative and the legal aid fee which you must pay yourself.