Legal aid funding is provided by the Department for Justice in Northern Ireland and is available to people on a low income who require legal assistance with certain matters. There are three legal aid schemes available:
Legal aid for advice and assistance covers a variety of areas such as housing, children, or domestic abuse.
Civil legal aid is available for representation at the higher courts, including the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). Representation at the immigration tribunal is limited to matters such as asylum and human rights, immigration bail, or deprivation of citizenship.
When a person’s case is not covered by legal aid then it still may be possible to apply to the Legal Services Agency for exceptional funding for a solicitor or barrister to represent the person in court proceedings.
For more information on legal aid in Northern Ireland, see the Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland.
