civil funding Flashcards
funds that are available
Private funds or legal aid
This is administered by the Legal Aid Agency in the Ministry of Justice
must qualify under two tests
Must qualify under 2 tests:
Interests of justice test
Means test
sources of legal advice
Everyone has a right to free legal advice at the police station from the DUTY SOLICITOR
Private firms of lawyers
Legal aid lawyers
someones own resources
the law is only really open to people that can afford it, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) state that the firm they regulate must make their fees as transparent as possible. Charges may vary between lawyers and firms.
insurance
insurance is designed to cover the cost of legal advice or fees related to a court case. insurance companies will only defend a claim if there is a likely chance of success.
legal aid
it is funded by the government and is quite limited as the government have a small budget. it allows people on a low income and little savings to have legal aid for free. they must prove that they don’t have the means to pay for it themselves. funding can stop if the solicitor feels as if the case isn’t strong enough.
conditional fee arrangments
this is where a financial risk is split between the lawyer and the client. this is also known as ‘no win, no fee’ agreement. this is only used in civil law. if the case is found in favour of the other party, the client doesn’t have to pay anything.
trade unuion membership
they provide free legal advice for their members in the industry - in relation to companies. advice is usually available from a persons trade union, not just on employment law matters.
citezens advice bureau
An organisation that offers free advice on consumer and other legal matters. it is a network of charities to help fund free legal advice for people.
