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What is legal aid?
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About legal aid
The government 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.
The LSC runs the legal aid scheme in England and Wales. Our work is overseen by the Ministry of Justice and the annual legal budget is set by the Treasury.
Community Legal Advice is our helpline offering free, confidential and independent legal advice. Call the helpline now on 0845 345 4345.
Helping people access legal help
We use our annual budget of £2 billion per year to help around two million people access legal help each year.
Through our legal aid schemes we fund solicitors and advice agencies to:
- advise people on their legal problems (such as family breakdown, debt and eviction)
- help people understand their rights and the law
- advise people detained in police stations
- if necessary represent people in court.
Our objective is to help as many eligible people as possible, within a limited budget.
Legal aid is fundamental to social justice. Read more about why legal aid is important here.
For more information
More information about legal aid is on the Legal aid information leaflets page. These leaflets include:
- how we fund civil and criminal legal service
- your rights at the police station and in court.
The LSC looks after legal aid in England and Wales. The Scottish Legal Aid Board and the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission run the system in those countries.
Last updated: 08 April 2011