Legal Aid Board

The Legal Aid Board is an independent organisation providing civil legal aid and advice if you cannot afford a solicitor. It also provides mediation services. Read more about what Civil legal aid and legal advice is.

What does the Legal Aid Board do?

The Legal Aid Board provides:

• Legal aid and legal advice in civil cases (non-criminal cases) to people who meet the criteria
• Family mediation service
• Information about its services

It also:

• Manages 3 criminal legal aid schemes (but it does not give direct legal aid or advice on criminal matters)
• Assists in the Abhaile scheme helping people in home mortgage arrears

How does the Legal Aid Board provide these services?

The Legal Aid Board has a network of full-time and part-time law centres throughout Ireland. It also has panels of solicitors and barristers who provide legal aid and advice. If a barrister is needed to deal with your case, the Legal Aid Board will appoint one to represent you.

The Board's Family Mediation Service helps couples who have decided to separate or divorce, or who have already separated, to negotiate an agreed way forward, while addressing the needs and interests of all involve.

Is civil legal aid free?

Civil legal aid and advice is not free. If you qualify for civil legal aid, you have to make a payment, called a contribution. Find out more about getting Civil legal aid and legal advice.

The Legal Aid Board is set up under the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995.

Who is on the Legal Aid Board?

This Board has a chairperson and 12 other members. At least 5 of the members of the Board must be women and 5 must be men. Two members of the Board must be barristers, 2 must be solicitors and 2 must be members of the staff of the Board. Find more about who is on the Board.

Civil legal aid

The Legal Aid Board will give you legal aid and legal advice in the following areas mainly:

• Judicial separation
• Divorce
• Maintenance
• Domestic violence
• Custody of and access to children
• Problems relating to hire-purchase agreements
• Contract disputes
• Applications for asylum, subsidiary protection or permission to remain in Ireland

Civil matters not covered by the Board

The Board can give you legal advice in most areas. However, it generally cannot provide legal aid in the following types of cases:

• Defamation claims - where a person's reputation has been damaged as a result of libel or slander
• Land disputes - disputes concerning rights and interests in or over land
• Civil matters covered by the small claims procedure
• Licensing (publicans' licences)
• Conveyancing - the legal transfer of a property from one party to another
• Election petitions
• Claims made by a person on behalf of someone else or in an official capacity
• Claims brought by a person on behalf of a group of persons to establish a precedent on a particular point of law - test cases
• Claims brought by any other group or representative action - class actions

Find out more about how to access civil legal advice and legal aid.

If you are accused of a crime and cannot afford legal representation, you can apply to get criminal legal aid from the State. You have a constitutional right to legal advice in criminal cases, including the right to legal representation where you cannot afford to pay for it. Read more about criminal legal aid.

The Legal Aid Board does not provide criminal legal aid except in certain cases.

The Legal Aid Board provides criminal legal aid under these 3 schemes:

• The Garda Station Legal Advice Revised Scheme if you are detained under certain laws in a Garda station and you satisfy a means test
• The Legal Aid – Custody Issues Scheme if you can’t afford legal representation for certain types of cases not covered by civil legal aid in the High Court and the Supreme Court
• The Criminal Assets Bureau Ad-hoc Legal Aid Scheme if you are in any court proceedings under certain legislation and can’t afford legal representation

Legal Aid and advice in rape and sexual assault cases

If you are the complainant in a rape or sexual assault case the Legal Aid Board can provide legal aid or advice to you if the sexual offences include:

• Rape
• Aggravated sexual assault
• Incest

A complainant is the person making the complaint.

Legal aid and advice for victims of human trafficking

The Legal Aid Board also provides legal services on criminal matters to you if you are a  victim of human trafficking.

Find out more about how to access criminal legal aid which is granted by the courts.

The Legal Aid Board has Frequently Asked Questions.

You can find more about:

• Civil legal aid and legal advice
• Legal representation in criminal cases
• Criminal legal aid
• Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC)
• Legal aid for asylum seekers
• Functions and duties of individuals in a court of law

There is a network of Legal Aid Centres throughout Ireland.