Family Matters - Legal Aid       01223 415372

From 1 April 2013, Legal Aid (Public Funding) will no longer be available to the majority of people wishing to deal with ‘family related’ matters.

This will mean that the majority of people, even those who rely totally on State Benefits, will have to pay for legal advice and representation.

We are very much aware that dealing with divorce, dissolution, division of assets and disputes regarding children can be a minefield and can be very daunting. We have therefore devised a fee structure for assisting with each stage of these various issues. This will give you the flexibility to instruct us to provide you with legal advice and assistance throughout your matter or, if you cannot afford this, to select those matters with which you feel you absolutely need legal advice and assistance, and to allow you to deal with some issues yourselves, as you feel able to.

If you would like further information about our fixed fee structure, please call Bridget on 01223 415372 or bridget.giltinane@smslaw.co.uk

A word of warning

When you issue an application to the Court, the Court will set a timetable for the matter to be dealt with which you will need to adhere to – the Court will not wait until you can afford to obtain advice on the next stage of the proceedings.

Disclaimer

If you believe you may qualify for Public Funding, we recommend you speak with a firm of solicitors who offer this service. A list of such firms can be found at http://legaladviserfinder.justice.gov.uk Alternatively, you may wish to visit www.justice.gov.uk/legal-aid to find out more about the availability of Public Funding.

If you would like legal advice then please call or email our family lawyer, Bridget Giltinane on 01223 415372 or bridget.giltinane@smslaw.co.uk for initial free advice or alternatively to book an initial free appointment.