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Legal aid is government funding that helps people who cannot afford legal costs to get help with certain legal problems. In England and Wales it is administered through the Legal Aid Agency. For civil matters, legal aid is limited in scope: it is available for some kinds of problem and not others, and it depends on your financial circumstances and, often, on the strength of your case. This page gives a general overview. Whether legal aid is available in a particular situation depends on the rules in force and your individual circumstances, so it is worth checking the official guidance directly. Civil legal aid tends to be focused on areas where the stakes for a person are especially high. Depending on the rules and your circumstances, it may be available for matters such as certain housing problems where the home is at risk, some family cases involving safety, debt in specific situations, community care, and some discrimination and welfare matters. Many everyday civil disputes, including many contract and money claims between private parties, fall outside the scope of civil legal aid.

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Who may qualify

Legal aid for civil matters is generally means tested, so it depends on your income and capital. There may also be a merits test, which looks at whether the case is strong enough and whether funding it is justified. Meeting the criteria is not automatic, and the thresholds change over time.

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What it does not do

Legal aid is not a general fund for any legal problem. Large areas of civil law are outside its scope, and even where a matter is in scope, the financial and merits tests may mean a particular person does not qualify. Many people who cannot afford a lawyer also do not qualify for legal aid, which is one reason self-representation is common.

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Checking your position

Because scope and thresholds change and depend on your circumstances, the reliable way to find out whether you might qualify is to use the official checker and guidance provided by the government. An organisation or adviser may also be able to help you work out whether legal aid is an option in your situation.
Portia is a document-organisation tool for people handling civil disputes in England and Wales. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. Learn what Portia does.