About legal aid

Helping people in need | How we deliver legal services | More about legal aid

Need legal advice?

For free, confidential and independent legal advice visit the Community Legal Advice website.

The LSC itself is unable to provide legal advice or information. Case specific queries should be directed to your local office.

Helping people in need

The Legal Services Commission (LSC) runs the legal aid scheme in England and Wales and helps people in need receive high quality legal advice, assistance and representation. The Ministry of Justice oversees our work.

The annual budget is set by the treasury and provides funding for legal aid to help people:

Protect their basic rights and get a fair hearing
Access the court process to sort out disputes
Solve problems that contribute to social exclusion

How do we deliver legal services?

We run two schemes:

The Community Legal Service (CLS) provides advice and legal representation for people involved in civil cases
The Criminal Defence Service (CDS) provides advice and legal representation for people facing criminal charges

More about legal aid

Visit the Community Legal Advice website
What is legal aid and who can get it?
How do the legal aid schemes work?
Want to work as a legal aid solicitor or adviser?
How to find legal information and get help with a legal problem
Legal aid information leaflets for practical information on civil and criminal legal aid

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Last updated: 10 November 2009