legal aid?

ness_w

It looks as though I am in the process of leaving the family home with my children. People I have confided in all say I need legal advice. Using the legal aid calculator on the CSA website was fruitless as I can't work out how to enter my financial position....my husband and I own a house together, joint bank account etc but this will partly be about separating our finances.

Are their any simple rules of thumb to indicate the likelihood of getting legal aid?

Nicki

Has the legal aid charge been explained to you? Legal aid is not free advice it is a loan to pay for legal advice and if you succeed in either gaining or keeping property in a legal action funded by legal aid, your costs are paid out of that property. With a house, this is usually by way of a charge on the property with the LAB getting a percentage of the proceeds when it is sold. With money in a bank account it is deducted at source.

ness_w

I haven't looked into it at all yet. There is a solicitor offering a free half hour here, hopefully they will explain all. Thanks for that, I had no idea.

julie2710

I think most solicitors will offer a 30 minute free consultation.

Upsidedown_Bear

Try this:

https://www.gov.uk/legal-aid-eligibility-calculator

Although you might want to read this too as it look like things are changing soon.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/apr/14/divorce-break-bank-legal-aid

ness_w

That article makes depressing reading. My husband earns four times what I do, hopefully he'll be reasonable but if not, and with no legal advice, things don't look great for me!