Legal Aid
You should apply for legal aid support through a solicitor that does legal aid work.
Bruce Short Solicitors offer legal aid support for all clients who qualify for legal aid in Scotland.
If you’ve been charged with a criminal offence, legal aid can help with the costs of legal advice from a criminal defence solicitor or representation at court.
In order to qualify for criminal legal aid support, you will have to show that you can’t afford to pay your legal costs yourself or that paying them would be unreasonable to you or your family.
Criminal legal aid is usually granted if:
– you’ve been charged with a serious offence on petition under solemn procedure (this means it’s likely there will be a trial with a jury)
– you’ve been charged with a less serious offence on petition under summary procedure
– you want to appeal against a decision a criminal court made about you
In Justice of the Peace court cases, you also need to show if:
– you’re likely to go to prison if convicted
– you’re likely to lose your job if convicted
– you can’t follow what’s happening in the trial because of a mental or physical disability or English isn’t your first language
– you’re being kept in custody until a trial
If your case involves a minor offence such as a motoring offence, it’s not likely that you will get help with legal costs.
You can apply for Scottish legal aid to get advice and assistance from a lawyer as long as the case is covered by the law in Scotland. You’ll usually need to show that you can’t afford to pay your legal costs yourself.
Usually you can get advice and assistance if:
– you don’t have a large amount of disposable capital (savings, shares, property and money, but not the house you live in) you could use or sell to pay for legal help
– you receive certain benefits, such as Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance
– your weekly disposable income is less than a certain amount (this is the money you have left after deducting income tax, national insurance contributions and any maintenance payments you make)
Advice and assistance support can help with the costs of legal advice from a solicitor if you can’t afford it. This includes:
– advice on your legal rights and options
– help with negotiations and paperwork for a legal problem
– help if you’re accused of a crime, for example advice at a police station
– help if you’ve been asked to attend a children’s panel hearing
As registered criminal legal aid solicitors, Bruce Short Solicitors can talk you through your options, let you know if you can get advice and assistance, and help you with the application process.
If your solicitor prepares a case and acts for you in court and you need help with the costs, you’ll need to apply for criminal or children’s hearing legal aid.
Contact our Legal Aid Solicitors, call us at ANY time of day on our 24/7 emergency helpline on 07774 277245 or call our office on 01382 223400 to make an appointment to discuss your legal aid application or criminal case with us today.