Useful Links

Find a Solicitor

If you can not find what you are looking for using the links below to help you find solicitors that specialise in your type of law

Find a Solicitor in Scotland

Find a Solicitor In England & Wales

Find a Solicitor Northern Ireland

Find a Legal Executive In England & Wales

SRA England & Wales

Scottish Paralegals

Find other Solicitors – Justice Directory

SRA Solicitors Register

Legal Aid Agency

Legal Aid Agency England & Wales

Legal aid can help meet the costs of legal advice, family mediation and representation in a court or tribunal.

You’ll usually need to show that:

your case is eligible for legal aid the problem is serious you cannot afford to pay for legal costs

You could for example get legal aid if:

you or your family are at risk of abuse or serious harm, for example, domestic violence or forced marriage you’re at risk of homelessness or losing your home you’ve been accused of a crime, face prison or detention you’re being discriminated against you need family mediation you’re adding legal arguments or bringing a case under the Human Rights Act

You’ll usually need to show that you cannot afford to pay for this help. You may have to pay some money towards the legal costs of your case or pay costs back later.

Check if you can get legal aid to get help with civil cases. Your legal adviser will usually apply for legal aid on your behalf.

Legal aid rules are different in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Scottish Legal Aid

Legal aid is the help you can sometimes get when you can’t afford to pay your own legal costs.

To apply for legal aid, you’ll need to find a solicitor that does legal aid work. They’ll talk you through your options, let you know if you’re likely to get legal aid and help you with the application process.

Warning - You’ll usually need to show that you can’t afford to pay for legal help yourself and your problem is serious. You may have to pay some money towards the legal costs of your case or pay costs back later. You might not need to pay anything at all, depending on your financial position and the type of legal help you need.

Before you apply for legal aid you should consider all your options for legal help – some could be cheaper or free.

What legal aid covers

The type of legal aid you apply for depends on the type of legal help you need (you can talk about this with your solicitor):

Advice and assistance – this can help with the costs of getting legal advice from a solicitor, like information on your rights and options or help with negotiations and paperwork.

If needed, your solicitor may be able to represent you in court for:

a civil case – for example, if you have housing issues, you’re divorcing, have disputes about your children or need help with debt a Children’s Hearing – for example, if you’re a young person (or their parent/carer) asked to go to a hearing to sort out a problem a criminal case – for example, if you’ve been accused of a crime or face prison