LEGAL AID IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Caseworker, case work supervisors

I will be responsible for your case. If the caseworker changes, you will be notified. The casework supervisor for Housing: Mark Batten/ Pat Wilkins

Legal Aid Revocation Risk

When the emergency certificate is granted, your financial circumstances are not investigated thoroughly. Instead, Centre 70 made the decision on the information you give. If, when the LAA look at your case and financial circumstances in detail, it is discovered that you deliberately made an untrue statement about your financial situation or about your case, or that you are not financially eligible for a certificate, or if you do not reply to their enquiries, or pay any requested contributions from capital or income (see below), the LAA will be entitled to demand that you pay them all legal costs incurred since the date of the grant of the emergency certificate. Additionally, your opponent in any Court proceedings may seek an enforceable order that you pay their legal costs. Of course, you have nothing to worry about as long as you have given full details of your financial circumstances to the LAA and correct information to your legal adviser about your case.

This "revocation risk" (as it is known) also applies throughout the time you have any LAA Funding Certificate. It is therefore very important indeed that you inform the LAA and your legal adviser of any changes in your financial circumstances, and always give truthful instructions.

Contributions

Legal Aid is not always free. The LAA can ask you to make a contribution towards your LAA Funding Certificate, either from your capital or income. If they decide to do this, you will be sent an offer, detailing the contributions requested. You must accept the offer by paying the first contribution as soon as possible, or your emergency certificate may be revoked. Further, you will not be given a full certificate until you accept the offer. Contributions from income can be large. The largest contribution from income at present rates is £203.75 per month.

Statutory Charge

If money or property is either "preserved or obtained" for you (for example, you are awarded compensation or retain your home and are an owner-occupier ) whether as a result of settling the case or as a result of a court order, some or all of your legal costs may be deducted from the money/property. Usually, your opponent is ordered to pay your legal costs if you win. However, your opponent only has to pay your reasonable legal costs, and we are then entitled to be paid the shortfall by the LAA (for example, your opponent is usually not ordered to pay costs in connection with our correspondence with the LAA, as it is not felt to be reasonable for an opponent to pay these costs). If there is such a shortfall, then the LAA would keep an appropriate sum of money to cover the shortfall, and then send the rest of your compensation to you; or be entitled ultimately to put a charge over your property.

Paying for your legal aid

I am required to make available to you a copy of the booklet "Paying for your Legal Aid". This booklet is available from the government legal aid Agency website. The link is below. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/572927/paying-for-your-civil-legal-aid-leaflet.pdf

Centre 70.