We pay your lawyer directly. It is a criminal offence if your lawyer asks you to cover the costs of legal aid. If you receive an invoice from your lawyer, contact us immediately. If you are entitled to legal aid, we will provide you with a lawyer to represent you. This will be either a lawyer working at Legal Aid NSW or a private lawyer from one of our panels. If you want to choose your own lawyer, you must ask your lawyer to file your legal aid application on your behalf. If you apply for legal aid yourself, you will not be able to choose your own lawyer. To have the best chance of receiving a grant, you should speak to a lawyer before completing an application. There are three ways to ask for help. The NSW Legal Aid Policy online resource contains our guidelines and guidelines for applying for legal aid and administering legal aid. Community legal centres are independent non-governmental organizations that provide free legal assistance to individuals and communities when such assistance is most needed. LawAccess NSW can refer you to the Community Legal Center best suited to your legal problem.
You can download and print the New South Wales Legal Aid Application Form. This form will ask you questions about your legal problem and financial situation. The information you provide to us will help us know if you are entitled to legal aid. To apply, you must complete the application form. A copy of the legal counsel application form can be found at: The application form is designed to help us determine your ability to pay attorneys` fees using an income and asset test, the strength of your case, and other factors or circumstances that may be important. We take into account all the information provided. Request free legal assistance through Justice Connect`s online tool. This tool helps people understand if they are eligible for Justice Connect services and connect with free legal aid lawyers and pro bono lawyers. You must complete a legal aid application to receive assistance. Granting legal counsel does not cover the cost of work done by your lawyer before the start of the scholarship if you have already hired a private lawyer. The start date of your grant can be found in the letter of the Legal Aid Act indicating that your application has been accepted.
Legal Aid NSW offers free advice on many types of legal issues. Find a consultation service near you. There are also a number of other services that may be able to help you. If the court asks you to pay legal fees, including so-called cost orders, it is usually your responsibility to pay that amount. The Legal Aid Act considers an application for payment of costs orders only in very limited situations. If you are requesting assistance, you can ask us to assign your file to a specific lawyer. This may be an ACT Legal Aid lawyer or a lawyer in private practice providing legal aid. Whether we refer your case to the lawyer of your choice may depend on the nature of the case, the availability of that lawyer and what we believe to be the most effective use of limited legal aid funds.
You can also read our A-Z guide to policies and policies shortly to see if legal aid is available for your legal issue. More detailed information about our policies can be found in the online policy. Important: If you have a financially connected person, you must also bring the same financial information for the financially connected person. A person with a financial connection includes anyone who supports you financially or who supports you financially or who is likely to support you financially to receive legal services. A financially connected person can include a parent, partner, spouse, business, trust, group, etc. Ask your legal question online with Justice Connect Answers. This online platform connects people with real lawyers who can answer simple legal questions – for free and online. If you need ongoing legal assistance, you can ask for help. If your lawyer says you need legal help, you will need to fill out a legal aid application form.
Your lawyer may be able to file your application for legal aid on your behalf. If you receive legal aid, it means that a lawyer who works or is paid by Legal Aid NSW will represent you in your case. In most cases, if you do not agree with the decision, either because you have been denied legal aid or because you do not agree with the terms, you can request that the decision be reviewed by an independent committee, the Legal Aid Review Committee. As a general rule, you must file an objection within 28 days. Search the Find Legal Answers database. Find Legal Answers is a service of the New South Wales State Library for the New South Wales community. Free legal information is available via links to fact sheets, online books, laws and publications. Contact the Law Society of NSW Solicitor Referral Service for help finding a private law firm. Please note that this referral service is NOT intended for free legal assistance – you will receive contact details for private law firms. Most often, private law firms or lawyers charge money for their services. The Legal Aid Act uses average and merit criteria to make the decision about who gets legal counsel.
This means that we will consider the following: Your application will be reviewed separately from that of your ex-partner. If you follow our guidelines on who can receive a grant (see Q3 above – How do I know if I am eligible for a grant?), you will still be eligible for legal aid. There is a wide range of websites, apps, and phone services that offer free legal information that you can use without or before consulting a lawyer. These can be useful if you want to research your options or understand a common legal problem. No, legal aid is not free. You will usually be asked to pay the following: LawAccess NSW is the best place to start solving a legal issue in NSW. It is a free government telephone service that provides legal information, advice and recommendations to people who have a legal problem in New South Wales. Certain legal issues are exempt from the requirement to pay a contribution, including domestic violence issues.