They can write letters, fill out applications and representing clients in court
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What do law centres do?
They can give advice to people in their area because they believe it should be fair
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What kinds of work do they do?
Housing, employment, immigration, and other things such as mental health and issues to do with child care, provide training materials, comment on law reform, deal with referrals
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What can local authorities do?
They can sometimes run or help fund advice agencies
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When was the legal aid scheme introduced?
1949 and its aim was to aid people of low and moderate means
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What act is the legal aid scheme under?
LASPO - Legal aid sentencing and punishment of offenders act 2012
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What changes have there been since 1989?
Fewer people are eligible, firms are more tightly regulated than before, make less money than before, system is more complicated
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What areas of law does civil legal aid cover?
Housing, benefit appeals, debt, domestic violence, discrimination, asylum, children in care/adoption
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What do people have to do to show they need legal aid?
costs vs budgets, the available budget, importance to the individual,
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What are the eligibility requirements for civil legal aid?
Earn under £8,000 capital and less than £2,657 a month on income, or a disposable amount of £733 per month, otherwise a contribution is needed from the person
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What types of civil legal aid are there?
Legal help, family mediation, legal representation,
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What types of criminal legal aid are there?
Free legal advice at the police station from a duty solicitor - usually by phone, advice and assistance, representation orders
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What is involved in advice and assistance?
Allows a solicitor to give general advice, write letters or get a barrister's opinion. Free for people on benefits, or savings/income below a certain amount
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What is a representation order?
The D must meet financial conditions to get free legal representation in court, if they are under 18/on benefits/dependent children. No more than £22,325 per month
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What is stated in the justice test?
D is likely to be imprisoned, d is likely to lose his/her job, is likely to suffer serious damage to reputation, cannot understand proceedings
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Advantages of the current scheme?
Only specialist lawyers are involved, greater diversity, spending is under control, great control over costs
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Disadvantages of current scheme?
Complexity, lack of commitment, costs are rising, limits of funding, budgets
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Advantages of the criminal scheme?
Duty solicitors, free, 24 hour service
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Disadvantages of the criminal scheme?
Duty solicitor may be inexperienced, the D may not understand their rights, hard to find lawyers due to high drop out rates
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What are conditional fees?
No win no fee cases, if they lose the case the solicitor does not earn anything, hard to find solicitors who want to do this because of this reason
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
Citizens advice bureaux?
Back
Established in 1989 during world war 2, gives free legal advice
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