Legal Aid is funding that covers legal costs. Depending on which level of involvement you have with social services, there are different levels of legal help available to you.
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Legal Aid is funding that covers legal costs and is available to parents, and those with parental responsibility, for a child who is involved in care proceedings. Depending on which level of involvement you have with social services, there are different levels of legal help available to you. Find out what legal help or legal aid you can claim:
This Legal Aid is available regardless of a parent’s financial means and without any contribution payable.
Legal Aid is sometimes available to other persons involved in Care Proceedings, such as other family members or carers and those who have been invited to intervene in the care proceedings to defend against allegations made. This Legal Aid is usually subject to a financial means and merits test.
Legal Help is provided by the Legal Aid Agency in some circumstances, subject to a means test. We are happy to have an initial discussion with you free of charge to discuss how we may able to help.
Legal Aid is available for domestic abuse injunctions. It is also available in some private children matters where there is evidence of domestic abuse.
Several of our care solicitors are on the Law Society's Children Panel. Only solicitors who meet the Law Society’s exacting accreditation requirements are permitted to join the Children Panel and represent children in public law care proceedings.
Our experts in public law care proceedings can provide you with support and guidance throughout the care proceeding's process. We are specialists in cases involving non-accidental injury and child neglect.
What’s the worst that could happen if you don’t have a Will? Our expert Wills solicitors have explain what can happen, in simple terms, in our guide.
Talk to Banner Jones. We are ready to help you.
Non-residential parents have to pay maintenance for their children; hopefully the amount can be agreed though negotiation and if not then the CSA will decide. Each case is different. If for example the Mum and the children stay in the family home then she may relinquish her claims over any other assets such as pension and savings in return. Our family law solicitors can advise on your specific circumstances.
You can get divorced in England or Wales if all of the following are true:
For most people, where there is no domestic abuse within the relationship, or domestic abuse that can be proved to the standard required by the Legal Aid Authority, there is no Public Funding available for Divorce, Dissolution of Civil Partnerships, financial matters and children matters. However, you do not need pre-existing evidence of domestic abuse in order to qualify for Legal Aid funding to obtain an injunction.
The aim when sharing out matrimonial assets is to be fair. Both spouses have to make full disclosure about their assets and debts before any decisions can be made about distribution, trying to hide anything won't work. Factors which are important when sharing out the assets include the current and future needs of each spouse and any dependent children; the length of marriage and the age, earning capacity and contributions of each party. Our family law Chesterfield team can guide you through this process.
The Legal Aid Authority will only accept specific forms of evidence of domestic abuse in support or an application for funding, and sample letters to request the relevant evidence are available on the Government website.
This must be provided by you before you are able to apply for of Legal Aid funding, unless you are looking for Help with Mediation, a Domestic Violence Injunction or Local Authority Care Proceedings relating to children, for which evidence of domestic abuse is not required.
Please note that the allegations have to be in relation to the person that you are currently having problems with. These allegations cannot be in relation to a previous or different partner as you will not qualify for Legal Aid.
Your aim should be that both parents still play an active part in the raising of the child/children. Usually, parents sort this out amongst themselves, although if there are problems, mediation can be a good way to resolve this. Our family law solicitors will advise you on Shared Care Agreements and Live With and Spend Time with Orders. Going to Court should always be the last resort when children are involved.
No, getting a divorce should be an administrative exercise only, and there are many options open to you that avoid going to Court.
Making a Will is commonly associated as something you do in later life however, in reality anyone over the age of 18 can have a Will and we would strongly recommend it to anyone with children.
Just how binding are Pre-nuptial Agreements in the British Courts? Well a recent ruling of the High Court on a French ‘pre-nuptial agreement’ pretty much spells it out.
What’s the worst that could happen if you don’t have a Will? Our expert Wills solicitors have explain what can happen, in simple terms, in our guide.
The Legal Aid Authority will accept the following evidence of children being at risk of abuse outlined in our PDF article.
The Legal Aid Authority will accept the following evidence as domestic violence outlined in our PDF article.
To find out more about Care Proceedings and how they work, read the article.
Getting through a divorce or separation is hard at the best of times but is often even harder when there are children involved in the relationship. Use our helpful guide for tips on explaining the situation to the children.
We’ve enlisted the help of some local relationship counsellors in Sheffield to provide you with some survival advice to help get you through a divorce.
