what if you cannot afford legal representation Flashcards
two methods in criminal
-criminal legal aid
-the public defenders service
criminal legal aid
legal aid is a govt provided legal assistance scheme
-criminal case legal aids are grants (govt pays)
the public defenders service
provides free defence lawyers for defendants
negative of public defenders service
very underfunded and and therefor public defenders usually very little preparation
civil community based providers
offer some assistance for e.g. community law and the citizens advice bureau but it is limited and not the same as full legal counsel
civil case legal aid is
a loan
lawyers must be …….. to be legal aid providers, this assures…
registered, assures the quality of legal aid practitioners
what must you meet to quailify for legal aid
low-income threshold, 27,000 for single income people
pro-bono legal services
providing free legal services to low income individuals
-lawyers can enhance their reputation
disadvtanages of pro-bono
pro-bono legal services are always accessible for those at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum because they are unaware of the service
pro bono clearing house , can also be called
poeple who do not know a pro-bono provider can phone and are matched to a pro-bono lawyer
-te are ture
compulsory pro bono services
way for lawyers to reciprocate their status in society by helping the community more frequently
non-lawyer advocate
someone other than a lawyer providing representation to the litigant
-not actually lawyers
-pose risks to clients
mckenanzie friends
a support person instead of a lawyer
-calming, competent, prior experience
mckenanzie friends cannot
provide legal advice or file documents in court
