Module 6 Legal Aid Report: Eligibility, Application, and Services

This report provides an overview of legal aid in the UK, focusing on the Legal Aid Agency's role in providing legal representation to those unable to afford it. It details the application process, which involves checking eligibility through the government portal, contacting Civil Legal Advice, and potentially receiving legal aid. The report also highlights the types of cases covered, including civil matters, and emphasizes the importance of providing financial proof of eligibility. Furthermore, the report covers the aims and objectives of legal aid, eligibility criteria, and the distinction between civil and criminal cases, as well as the role of the Legal Services Commission (LSC) which was replaced by the Legal Aid Agency, ensuring fair access to justice for all citizens.

Running Head: LEGAL AID
Legal Aid
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Affiliation
Instructor
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Legal Aid Support Application Process
Instruction Guide
The Legal AID Agency provides a platform where one can get Civil Legal Advice for free as
well as Legal aid that will be used for the payment of legal services. This service is mainly
available for those located in Wales or England. Eligible applicants get free and confidential
advice and legal services for problems such as housing for those that are homeless or about
to be evicted, those in debt domestic abuse cases when facing discrimination or separation
from a partner who is abusive. There is a detailed application process that has to be
followed1.
The process includes:
Step One: Accessing the https://www.gov.uk/check-legal-aid portal where one initiates a
process to check for eligibility. Here, contact details for Civil Legal Advice will be given and
this enables one to contact a legal expert.
Step Two: Contact the Civil Legal advice and inform them that you are eligible by giving a
detailed explanation of the problem. Financial proof must be provided here- that one
cannot afford legal services
1 Burridge Alice, Gill Noell. Conveyor-belt justice: Precarity, access to justice, and uneven geographies of legal
aid in UK asylum appeals. Antipode. 2017 Jan;49(1):23-42.

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Step Three: A legal advisor will be assigned to you if it is established that you are eligible.
Advice on the situation is given
Step Four: in case the Civil Legal Service cannot help, a suggestion to seek a different legal
expert will be given. In case the application is successful, Legal aid will be given2.
Points to Note
Non-criminal cases can only be checked (Civil cases only)
One must proof eligibility by providing recent pay-slips if he or she is working, bank
statements, details about the benefits he or she receives, mortgage statements and any
property valuation documents as well as investments that one has in a detailed form
References
2 Flynn Anderson, Hodgson James,. Access to justice and legal aid: comparative perspectives on unmet legal
need. Bloomsbury Publishing; 2017 Jan 26.

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Alice B, Noell G.
Conveyor-belt justice: Precarity, access to justice, and uneven geographies
of legal aid in UK asylum appeals. Antipode. 2017 Jan;49 (1):23-42.
Anderson F., James H.
Access to justice and legal aid: comparative perspectives on unmet
legal need. Bloomsbury Publishing; 2017 Jan 26.