Legal Aid
Public funding for legal advice and representation, available to individuals who cannot afford to pay for legal services. Now administered by the Legal Aid Agency under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). Eligibility depends on means and merits tests.
Independent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
Legal aid can help with the costs of legal advice, and can also pay for someone to speak or negotiate on your behalf at a court or tribunal. Government guidance lists the kinds of problem it can cover, including homelessness, eviction or serious disrepair, protecting yourself or a child from abuse or harassment, discrimination, and challenging a government decision about you — but it is not available for everything: debt problems are excluded unless you might lose your home, and employment disputes are excluded unless discrimination is involved.
You cannot apply for legal aid yourself. Instead, you use the 'Check if you can get legal aid' service (or the Civil Legal Advice helpline) to check eligibility, and a legal adviser then applies for legal aid on your behalf. There is a separate route if you have been arrested or charged with a crime.
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Official sources
This explanation is drawn from the official sources below; every substantive statement is verified against them. For advice on a specific matter, see our find help page.