Scottish Legal Aid Board Online


	Legal aid help for mortgage arrears cases Legal aid helps many people with mortgage arrears and repossession cases, even if they go to court, and it's not true that you always have to pay for this - read more.


	16 June 2009 - Civil fees increase This letter to all civil firm contains information about changes to civil fees,and a new form RET/CIV/INC/09 for claiming back-dated fees. Read the letter and download the form. Or read the new accounts guidance and refer to the amended fees regulations in the civil legal assistance handbook. 29 May 2009 - Review of duty solicitor scheme 2009 - Letter to all criminal practitioners 24 April 2009 - Issues arising from the new civil forms / civil legal assistance simplification mailing 5 3 April 2009 Legal aid changes from Tuesday 7 April 2009 - new Keycard This letter to all legal aid solicitors contains information on revised financial eligibility limits effective 7 April 2009. It includes the new Keycard and information on the major changes to civil legal aid eligibility. It also has information on new category codes for advice and assistance, with a new Card, and details on using the Equality Card. Read the letter and enclosures. 2 April 2009 - Summary criminal Mailing 10 - provides guidance on the main issues where there still appear to be problems and misunderstandings about the new summary criminal legal assistance system.

	Legal Aid Online User login Not using Legal Aid Online? Did you know that most applications for advice and assistance/ABWOR are now submitted online? Read more about the service and find out why you should join the hundreds of solicitor firms benefiting from our online service.

	Jobs Board vacancies There are current vacancies and we also welcome speculative applications,

	Current tenders There are no current tenders


	News 18 May 2009 Corporate Plan 2009-2011 published 6 May 2009 Legal advice for people facing repossession and debt 7 April 2009 Legal support for middle-income households - issued by the Scottish Government 24 March 2009 Glasgow duty plan interim interdict decision

	Most adults now financially eligible for civil legal aid Even if you didn’t qualify for civil legal aid before April this year, that may well have changed. Around three quarters of Scottish adults are likely to be financially eligible for civil legal aid from 7 April, as part of a move to increase access to justice. If your income, after paying essential expenses such as your mortgage, tax and childcare, is £25,000 or less, you may qualify. To read more, click here. You can also use our civil legal aid online calculator to see if you may qualify financially.

	Vision To provide access to justice for those eligible and in need of it, in a cost-effective manner. Legal aid allows people who would not otherwise be able to afford it to get help for their legal problems. The Scottish Legal Aid Board was set up in 1987 to manage legal aid in Scotland. Read more about our work in the about us section.

	Annual report 2007-2008 To read about the Board's annual report, including statistics and information for the media, go to the Annual Report section of our website. Or if you'd like to know more about how we plan to work with others to improve legal aid over the next three years read more in our Corporate plan 2009-2011.

Getting legal help

Civil or criminal legal assistance helps people to get legal advice and "representation", which means a solicitor to put their case in court. Find out more about legal assistance, if you may be eligible and how to apply.

Solicitors who provide legal assistance are registered with us. You can search to find your nearest solicitor.

For civil cases, find out how opponents have the right to object to an application for, or grant of, civil legal aid.

Legal profession

This section provides solicitors and advocates with the latest news and a wide range of useful legal aid resources, including:

forms
the Scottish Legal Aid Handbook
mailshots and guidance publications, including information about our civil simplification project
information about summary criminal legal assistance reform - visit our special criminal reform section to read more including previous mailings.

LEGAL AID HELPLINE

To find out more about legal aid and if you may qualify, or where to find a legal aid solicitor or order our leaflets you can also call our Legal Aid Helpline on 0845 122 8686. It is open 7 days a week 7am to 11pm. (Please note that we do not provide legal advice. Calls are charged at local rate.)

Access to information
We are committed to openness. Under the Freedom of Information laws, you can read our Publications Scheme and access materials we regularly publish - find out more.

You can use Browsealoud on this site. Browsealoud reads web pages aloud for people who find it difficult to read online - download the free service to let you listen.