URGENT WARNING ON FAMILY LAW LEGAL AID – LEGAL AID IS BEING DRAMATICALLY CURTAILED ON THE 1ST APRIL 2013 BY REASON OF GOVERNMENT CUT-BACKS – IF YOU THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE ENTITLED TO LEGAL AID BEFORE YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT, COME APRIL 2013, YOU MAY NOT RECEIVE IT, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR INCOME LEVEL.
The purpose of the legal aid cutbacks are to save £2 billion from the costs of running the Ministry of Justice which is the government department responsible for Legal Aid. We shall be posting more details when the plans are finalised but drastic cuts are expected. Those who receive legal aid will have to satisfy a stringent test based not just on income levels and those clients who do not qualify under the 2013 rules will have to fund their own legal costs or buy a product such as our DIY Divorce Pack or our Divorce Mediation Service. We are looking at the last days of the present legal aid availability so act now before it is too late. Those clients who instruct a solicitor before 31st March 2013 can use the existing rules which we have set out below. Those who instruct a solicitor after that date will be unlikely to obtain legal aid unless they are a victim of domestic violence or there is a risk of child abuse, whatever their income levels.
