This Blog Post Is For You If You Cannot Afford A Lawyer In The UK.
We’re Going To Look At How You Can Get Free Legal Advice And Access To A Free Lawyer. We’re Going To Discuss Legal Aid, How To Get It, The Criteria That Decides If You Can Get It And What To Do If You Cannot Get Legal Aid. We’re Also Going To Explore A Couple Of Affordable Alternatives That Can Give You Legal Support And Guidance.
My Name Is Naomi Cramer. I Was Born In West Yorkshire In A Small Village Called Cottingley, Which Is Near Bingley.
I’ve Been Practising Not In England But In New Zealand For Over 27 Years And My Specialist Areas Are Criminal Defence Law And Family Law. I Help People Who Can’t Afford Lawyers, With My Support And Guidance, To Get The Best Possible Outcome. Click Here to see my current registration with the NZ Law Society.
FREE LEGAL ADVICE CENTRES
Free Legal Advice Centres Are Usually Government Funded Charities And Include:
- Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
- Law Centres
- Community Legal Advice Centers.
You Can Get Free Advice From The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) — Just Google One Near Your Area.
They Offer General Legal Advice Covering A Wide Range Of Topics, Such As Debt, Welfare Benefits, Housing, Employment, And Discrimination. They Are General Practitioners.
However, These Are Typically Staffed By Recent Law Graduates Who Cannot Get Jobs In A Law Firm And Who Have Probably Never Stepped Foot Inside A Courtroom.
Occasionally, If You’re Very Lucky, You May Come Across A More Experienced Lawyer.
Nothing However Beats A Specialist — Finding A Free Specialist Is Going To Be Like Finding A Needle In A Haystack. You Wouldn’t Go To A Brain Surgeon If You Needed Heart Surgery, Nor Would You Go To A GP (General Practitioner).
LEGAL AID
Lawyers That Meet The Criteria To Be A Legal Aid Provider Have To Provide Evidence To The Legal Aid Services Agency That They Have Sufficient Experience And Training.
Legal Aid Can Be Free, But It Can Also Be Required To Be Repaid. In New Zealand, They Put A Mortgage Over People’s Houses To Ensure That They Repay The Fees To The Legal Services Agency. So It’s Going To Depend Upon Your Assets As Well As Your Income As To Whether You’ll Get Delayed In The First Place And Then Whether Or Not It’s Free.
Even If You Do Have To Pay It Back, At Least You Don’t Have To Come Up With A £5,000 Or £10,000 Retainer Upfront For A Private Lawyer. I Know That Some Criminal Lawyers Won’t Even Look At You Unless You’ve Got £5,000 Or £10,000. And I Know Of A Couple Of Lawyers In New Zealand That Charge $2,000 For A Consultation — That’s £1,000 — And No, They’re Not Q.Cs Or K.Cs (Queens Counsel Now Called King’s Counsel, The Cream of The Crop).
Most Lawyers Charge A Consultation Fee. I Do.
For Those That Don’t Charge Consultation Fees, They’re Only Going To See You To Persuade You To Hire Them.
They’re Not Going To Give You Any Tips Or Advice Or Help. They Will Say Something Like, “Oh Well, You Need To Sign This Authority Form First So That We Can Obtain All Of The Evidence, And Then We Can Advise You As A Way Forward.“
Legal Aid Eligibility
One Of The Main Criteria To Be Eligible For Both Criminal Legal Aid And Family Legal Aid Amongst Other Things, Is Your Income.
You Have To Have A Household Income — Not Just Your Income But The Household Gross Income — Which Cannot Exceed £2,657 Per Month Gross, Which Works Out To Be After Tax Approximately £480 To £500 Per Week.
If You’re Living In London, That Means You’re Probably Not Going To Qualify Due To The Extortionate Prices Of Rent There. If You Fall Into That Category, Again, This Is For You — Keep Watching.
If You Are Facing An Indictable Criminal Charge, Then The Income Testing Part Of The Eligibility For Legal Aid Is Increased To A Much Higher Level. Indictable Offenses Are The Most Serious Offenses Such As, But Not Limited To, Murder, Manslaughter, Rape, Arson, And Aggravated Robbery. If You’re Not Sure Whether Your Offense Is An Indictable Offense Or Not, If The Police Have Let You Out On Bail, It’s Probably Not An Indictable Offense.
Indictable Offenses, Due To Their Seriousness, Require The Accused To Appear Before A Judge Who Will Decide Whether Or Not You Are Allowed To Be Out Of Jail On Bail And Will Set The Terms And Conditions Of That Whilst Your Trial Is Pending. If Your Offense Carries A Maximum Jail Term Of 10 Years Or More, Then You Really Need To Be Looking At Getting A Proper Qualified And Experienced Lawyer That Specialises In Criminal Defence Law.
What Sort Of Cases Are Excluded From Legal Aid?
Family Law Cases, Such As Financial Applications On Divorce And Disputes Over Children, Are Excluded Except Where Strict Criteria Are Met Regarding Allegations Of Domestic Abuse Or Child Abuse.
Duty Solicitors
Duty Solicitors Are Lawyers Who Are On Duty At Court For That Particular Day. They Are Provided Free Of Charge By The Government For People That Are Due To Appear At Court That Day Who Do Not Have Lawyers.
They Give Preference to Seeing People That Are Locked Up In The Cells First Because Priority Has To Be Given To People Whose Liberty Is At Risk. They Will Help The Person Complete A Legal Aid Application If They Qualify For A Free Lawyer. In Instances Where Legal Aid Is Likely to be Granted, They May Adjourn The Matter To A Different Date If Bail Is An Issue, Bail Means Keeping Out Of Jail Or Getting Out Of Jail Until Your Matter Is Finalised.
If Bail Is Opposed By The Police, Then Legal Aid Usually Considers Your Application That Day And Should Appoint A Legal Aid Lawyer To You So That The Lawyer Can Make An Application For Bail That Day.
Duty Solicitors Are Only Available To Give You Initial Advice And Cannot Conduct Defended Hearings Or Trials On Your Behalf. The Duty Solicitor Scheme In The UK Only Allows You To See A Duty Solicitor Once. One Time Only For The Same Matter.
I Started Off As A Duty Solicitor In 1998 In New Zealand. Fully Qualified Lawyers, By That I Mean Those That Have Completed The Bar Exams And Have Been Admitted To The Role Of Barristers And Solicitors With The Relevant Law Society, Are Required To Undergo Additional Specific Legal Training.
To Be Able To Get A Duty Solcitor to Help You , You Have to Have Been Charged With A Summary (Criminal) Offence Where the Maximum Penalty is not More than 6 Months Imprisonment, such as Common Assault, Drink Driving.
If You Can’t Get A Legal Aid Lawyer Or If You Don’t Meet The Criteria To Get A Duty Solicitor, Then There’s A Couple Of Other Alternatives You Might Want To Look At.
McKENZIE FRIENDS
Mckenzie Friends Are Not Lawyers, And They Are Usually NOT Free But Are Cheaper Than Lawyers.
They Can Accompany You To The Court, Sit Next To You In The Courtroom, And Assist You. They Are Not Allowed To Talk To The Judge On Your Behalf — Only An Enrolled Barrister And Solicitor Can Do That.
The Average Cost Of a McKenzie Friend Is £100 An Hour.
Unfortunately, This Is Completely Unregulated, And Any Tom, Dick, Or Harry Can Be A Mckenzie Friend.
There Have Been Awful Incidents Reported Of Threatening, Demanding, And Bullying Behaviour By Mckenzie Friends When They Demanded More Fees From People They Were Supposed To Be Helping.
Beware of Alot of Scam Artists Calling Themselves a McKenzie Friend (when a friend is the last thing that they are). Often Fabricating Their Experience.
If That’s Not Bad Enough a Number of them have Criminal Convictions and I’m Going to Name a Couple of them so You Can Avoid Them.
Mark Grayson- A convicted Paedophile !!
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/convicted-paedophile-opens-law-service-10852650.amp
David Bright – – Sentenced to 12 months Jail
https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/law/mckenzie-friend-jailed-for-deceit-in-family-court/5058352.article
Another Allegedly Unscrupulous McKenzie Friend to Beware of is Christopher James Coutanche.
At Least With the CAB You Get a Proper Regulated Lawyer to Avoid Nightmares
“The Secrets to Courtroom Success“
If You Don’t Want To Turn Up To Court Unprepared (Not Advised) & You Want To Know What To Do, So That You Can Get The Best Possible Outcome, CLICK HERE & Check Out The “Secrets To Courtroom Success”.
“The Secrets To Courtroom Success” Is An Online Educational Video Program For People That Can’t Afford Lawyers That I’ve Put Together. There’s No Fancy Legal Jargon — It’s Put Together In Simple Language So That You Can Easily Understand And Follow My Guidance.
If You’re Wondering Why Wait A Minute Isn’t A Little Different In New Zealand To What It Is In England Yes They Are But They Pretty Much The Same Because The Legal Systems Of Both Countries Are Based Upon A Westminster Style Legal Systems, As Is Australia.
Judges Both Here And There Take Into Account The Same Factors When Deciding Upon A Sentence For Somebody Facing A Criminal Charge.
In The Family Courts Decisions About Child Care Arrangements, Must Be Decided Based Upon What Is In The Best Interests And Welfare Of The Child. This Is Known As The Paramount Principle And Takes Into Account Number Of Factors, All Of Which Are All The Same On Both Countries.
Plus Lawyers Are Trained To Read Understand And Interpret The Law Which Is Quite Intricate And Complex So It’s Just A Matter Of Me Reading And Learning English Law So Which I Have Done.
The Criminal Law Is Very Very Similar, Even Some Of The Legislation Have Exact Exactly The Same Names Eg The Misuse Of Drugs Act, The Criminal Justice Act, The Sentencing Act.
Additionally I Have Undertaken Certified Courses In The UK Which Are Approved Of By The English Law Society To Be Accredited As A Children’s Law Specialist.
For My Experience, Extensive Court Experience Over The Last Couple Of Decades I Know What Judges Want To Hear And What They Don’t Want To Hear And Want To Tell Them And Not To Tell Them To Persuade Them To Rule In Your Favour.
CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT
Disclaimer:The Information Provided On This Website Is For General Informational Purposes Only And Does Not Constitute Legal Advice. Accessing Or Using This Information Does Not Create A Solicitor-Client Relationship Between You And The Author Naomi Cramer. Neither The Author Naomi Cramer Nor The Owner Of This Website Shall Be Liable For Any Loss, Damage, Or Consequence Resulting From Your Reliance On The Information Provided. You Should Obtain Your Own Independent Legal Advice From A Qualified Legal Professional Enrolled as Such Under the Law Society in Your Jurisdiction To Address Your Specific Situation.