How to get legal aid for a family issue

Summary

If you have a legal problem, you may be able to get help to pay for legal advice or even free family law advice, depending on your situation. Here we explain what help you may be able to get if you have a family problem – that’s a problem to do with things like domestic abuse, sorting out who your children are going to live with if you separate or how often you’ll see them, dividing any money and property, getting a divorce, or ending a civil partnership. It will help you understand what legal aid is, when it is available and who can get it. If you can't get legal aid, we suggest other places you might be able to get free family law advice. This information applies to England and Wales. 1 Getting started 2 What is legal aid? 3 Step 1: Check if there is legal aid for your particular legal problem 4 Step 2: What to do if you have experienced domestic abuse and need to get evidence 5 Step 3: Check if you are financially entitled to legal aid 6 Step 4: Get a solicitor and apply for legal aid 7 Step 5: How to find a solicitor if you can’t get legal aid 8 Step 6: If you are still stuck 9 About this guide If you have a family law problem, like how to agree arrangements for your children.

Key information

• •what legal problem you have,
• •how much money you earn, or receive, in benefits,
• •any property you own, and,
• •how good your case is (a solicitor can help you work this out).
• •psychological and emotional.
• •You want to go to mediation to help sort out problems with your ex such as arrangements for your children, or your finances when you separate.
• •You want to get a court order to protect you from your ex or another family member who is abusive to you. This type of order is often called an injunction or a non-molestation order. You might also need an order that says the abusive person can’t come to or live where you live for a certain amount of time. This is called an occupation order.
• •You have suffered or are likely to suffer domestic abuse from your ex and you want legal advice about your divorce or the dissolution of your civil partnership, sorting out your finances, or the arrangements for your children. You will need evidence of domestic abuse - see step 2 below.
• •Your case involves a child (for example, perhaps you are trying to make arrangements about who your child should live with) and that child is at risk of abuse from the person involved in the case (for example, your ex). You will need to provide evidence of child abuse - see step 2 below.
• •You are at risk of being forced to marry against your will and you want advice about applying for a court order to stop this.
• •Social services are involved in the care, supervision or protection of your children. (In cases where social services apply to the court for an order about your child you will automatically get legal aid if you have parental responsibility for them.)
• •Your child has been taken out of the UK without your permission or you are trying to stop someone from taking your child out of the UK without your permission.

Practical guidance

• •Source: [How to get legal aid for a family issue](https://www.advicenow.org.uk/get-help/family-and-children/family-court/how-get-legal-aid-family-issue)

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