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Legal Aid Criminal Cases
Legal Aid Criminal Cases

Legal Aid for Criminal Law Cases

Legal Aid Solicitors for Criminal Law Cases

When you speak to a criminal defence lawyer, he or she can offer Legal Aid advice and can explain means testing and let you know if you are eligible for public funding. We have many years of experience in obtaining Legal Aid for criminal defence cases and we will do everything we can to help you fund your defence.

Not everyone is eligible for legal aid. Eligibility depends on the type of case and where it’s heard together with your means. The means test process determines whether or not you qualify for legal aid to cover some or all of your defence costs taking into account:

  • income
  • family circumstances, eg number of children
  • essential living costs, eg mortgage or rent

To qualify for legal aid your case must also pass the Interests of Justice test (IoJ).

If you fail the means test because you have too much disposable income but you believe that paying for your legal costs would cause financial hardship, you can ask for a review of your additional expenses (not yet taken into account).

  • You will passport the means test to automatically get free legal aid if you are under 18 or receive:
  • Income Support (IS)
  • income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • Universal Credit (UC)
    State Pension Guarantee Credit
  • income-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

You must also pass the Interests of Justice test – Crown Court trials are deemed to automatically satisfy this test.

Farleys Solicitors holds a Legal Aid franchise which means that our criminal law solicitors can apply for Legal Aid to represent you, if you qualify. We believe that you have a right to a solicitor to make sure that you can answer the criminal charges against you and we will offer you the best advice possible about obtaining Legal Aid.

Farleys Solicitors operates our Legal Aid franchise from six of our law offices in Lancashire. You can contact us in Preston, Manchester, Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington and Shadsworth on 0845 564 3837 to speak to a solicitor about obtaining legal aid for your criminal law defence or you can email us and we will call you back.

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01254 606008

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