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Family Law Legal Aid

Family Law Legal Aid in Sheffield, Barnsley & Rotherham

The availability of legal aid has been reduced significantly in recent years. However, Howells Solicitors continues to hold a legal aid contract to provide publicly funded services. We remain committed to clients who are entitled to help with their legal fees for children and family law matters.

Our team of family law solicitors are part of one of the largest family law teams in the north of England. The team are accredited in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners as one of the top family law firms in Yorkshire. They are accredited by the Law Society, and have many positive client reviews, and are one of the top rated law firm in the UK on Review Solicitors for family law solicitors. They are consistently praised for their empathetic communication, always making time to listen to and guide their clients.

Contact our team today

What is Legal Aid?

Legal aid is the use of public funding to help to pay for legal advice and representation in court of a limited number of legal services. The Legal Aid Agency is in charge of providing both civil and criminal legal aid in England and Wales.

There are usually three considerations for legal aid:

Scope: Does the case fall within the scope of legal aid?

Means test: The means test assesses an applicant’s financial eligibility.

Merits test: The merits test (for civil legal aid) assesses the merits of the case, including the likelihood of success, the reasonableness of costs and the benefit to the client.

Legal Aid Areas of Family Law

Children Law Solicitors

Care Proceedings Solicitor

Social Services Involvement

Advice Guides

What Are Care Proceedings?

The Public Law Outline (PLO) Process

Can You Get Legal Aid for Family Law?

Legal aid is where the government pays your legal costs if you are unable to afford them. Legal aid is only available for a limited number of family law legal services we offer. However, it is available for a wide variety of circumstances when social services are involved with children.

Different levels of legal aid may be available for your case, and we always assess new enquiries to see if they are in scope for funding – this will depend on the facts/type of case and means assessment. Wherever a case falls outside of scope we may be able to offer you a fixed fee and/or our hourly rates. All these funding options can be discussed with our new enquiry team.

We can offer legal aid for:

Legal Aid for Social Services Involvement

Dealing with social services can be frightening. It is very difficult and stressful when social services are involved with your family. It’s advised to contact a solicitor as soon as social services become involved with your family.

We can provide assistance and advice to parents, family members, children, and guardians across all aspects of childcare proceedings, including:

Offering advice at the first instance social services contact you.
Explaining the contents of any letters or communication from social services to you.
Explaining your rights as a parent or guardian during any stage of the care proceeding process.
Contact social services on your behalf.
Review a ‘letter before proceedings’ with you and offer advice.
Give advice before a ‘pre proceedings’ meeting.
Represent you during a ‘pre proceedings’ meeting.
Give advice and explain your rights following a ‘pre proceedings’ meeting.
Give you advice and represent you at court.

Find out more on our Social Services Involvement page.

Legal Aid for Care Proceedings

Care proceedings can have a significant impact on your family’s future. With our dedicated legal aid team, you can have peace of mind knowing that your rights and the well-being of your loved ones are our top priorities.

Facing care proceedings is a challenging and emotional journey that requires strong legal representation. Our dedicated team specialises in providing comprehensive legal aid for care proceedings, ensuring that your family’s best interests are safeguarded throughout the process. We understand the complexities involved and are here to guide you every step of the way.

Every family’s situation is unique, and we recognise that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to care proceedings. Our legal aid is tailored to your specific circumstances, allowing us to create personalised strategies that address your concerns and priorities.

Parents and carers with parental responsibility automatically have the benefit of legal aid for care proceedings, whatever their financial circumstances.

Find out more on our Care Proceedings Solicitor page.

Legal Aid for Domestic Abuse

If you are suffering from domestic abuse, threatening behaviour or physical or sexual abuse then our Family Law specialists can take urgent steps to protect you and your children.

Find out more on our Domestic Abuse page.

Do I Qualify for Legal Aid Family Law

Don’t worry about working this out yourself. At your first appointment with us, we will carry out an assessment to see if you qualify and explain what happens next.

There are various factors which will be considered including:

Your financial circumstances, such as your household income.
Your financial means, such as any savings you have.
If you receive certain benefits, such as income support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, guaranteed state pension credit etc.

From our first assessment we will be able to advise you on your entitlements and provide free legal advice on the next step to take.

Legal aid can help meet the costs of legal advice, family mediation and representation in a court or tribunal.

You’ll usually need to show that:

Your case is eligible for legal aid.
The problem is serious.
You cannot afford to pay for legal costs.

However, our legal team can help you with this and offer free advice on your options.

Solicitors for Legal Aid

The Howells Children Law team is one of the best in the country and one of the largest in the north of England. The team have been consistently highly ranked for family work in the north from the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. They also have many positive client reviews, and are one of the top rated law firm in the UK on Review Solicitors for family law solicitors.

The family law team are overseen by the hugely respected Alyson Siddall. Alyson has developed a group of many talents but with shared values. Tough and resolute in their legal representation, sensitive and compassionate in their client relationships, the team understand that they’re not dealing with ‘cases’ but with people, not bound up in legal process but in real lives.

The team is managed by senior solicitor Charlotte Curbishley who deal with all children law matters, specialising in advising and representing parents, children, and family members at public law proceedings. Charlotte is also on Law Society Children Panel.

Request a Call back

The Howells Solicitors law team are compassionate, down-to-earth and professional, offering you the best expert advice. Get in touch with solicitors in Sheffield, Rotherham, and Barnsley to see how we can help. Fill in the form or give us a call at:

0114 249 66 66 Sheffield
01709 364 000 Rotherham
01226 805 190 Barnsley

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What Do Our
Clients Say?

Thankyou for all your support during this case, it is a successful outcome for us all, most importantly the children. It was a battle in the end, but we got there, with your amazing advice and hard work. We truly are grateful.” “Charlotte, Pamela, Joanna, truly fab team, that have supported us through our journey, in getting the contact final and agreed.

Mr M and Ms R, Family Clients, Nov 2014

Thanks for all your ‘spot on’ children’s advice and also the advice which you have given to me over the last 8 months. The letters, statements, position statement were all brilliant. I took your advice which paid off as it taught me there are ways of communication positively without reacting! I came to you anxious, angry and upset and you helped me to minimise this as the case moved forward.

Child Law Client

Family Law Legal Aid