I recently was offered (and accepted) a provider contract from Legal Services, who are part of the Ministry of Justice, to offer clients who are financially eligible, the opportunity to apply for legal aid for their cases. This applies to Civil and Family cases. I already have a contract for cases before the Waitangi Tribunal.

Legal aid can be useful where clients cannot afford my full charges, although there are some aspects which are important to note. The grant of legal aid is actually a loan rather than a gift, so an allowance should be made for repayment as Legal Services require. In some categories such as family violence this is not required but for most everything else, it is necessary to enter an agreement about repayment, or ask for this to be waived.

Legal aid has other uses. When you bring a claim and unfortunately lose, then the other side can claim costs on the court scales. However a client on legal aid cannot be forced to pay costs, and so for a difficult case this can be some protection, particularly for vulnerable cases. 

Please feel free to contact me if you have a case which would be suitable