CIVIL LEGAL ASSISTANCE

You live with your partner and your three children.  Your combined income from all sources including things like child benefit or tax credits is £50,000.  You pay income tax of £7,746, national insurance of £4,950 and housing costs of £7800.  You pay childcare costs of £2,300, and travelling to work by bus costs you £520.  You have disposable capital of £2,500. 

As your disposable income, after making the allowances set annually by the Government for your dependent partner and children, is £15,995, you would not previously have qualified for legal aid.

You now qualify financially for civil legal aid.

You will have to pay a maximum contribution based on income of £3368.  Normally you will pay this in 48 instalments of £70.16.

You do not have to pay a contribution from your capital.

But – talk to your solicitor – if they think the case will cost less than the maximum contribution we assess you should pay, we may be able to restrict your contribution. (But if the case eventually costs more than they estimated, we may still have to ask you to pay some or all of the rest of the assessed contribution.)

And you may be able to get some or all of your contribution back if

• the court orders your opponent to pay the costs of the case (and your opponent pays these) or
• you pay more in contributions than the cost of the case.