Most of us will brush up against the legal system at some point in our lives. Whether it’s to make a will, file for divorce, or anything in between, you may need to pay legal fees.
But legal fees can be expensive.
With solicitors usually charging by the hour, and days in court costing more than foreign holidays for the entire family, getting legal support can seem out of reach when you have little income or savings.
However, there are several ways you can get help accessing legal support.
Here are seven ways you can reduce, defer, or get help paying legal fees when you do not have much money.
1: No win no fee agreements
One way you can avoid paying upfront legal costs is by making a no win no fee agreement with your solicitor.
No win no fee agreements are typically used for claims for compensation, such as personal injury claims or employment disputes.
The idea is that your solicitor will not charge you for their services unless they win you compensation. If they do win your case, they will recover their costs from the person or organisation you are claiming against, as well as by taking a percentage of your compensation as a success fee.
Provided you put legal protection insurance in place to protect yourself against legal action from the other side, no win no fee agreements can be a low-risk way of accessing legal help without any upfront costs.
Remember, no win no fee agreements are limited to certain cases. They are not available for criminal law, divorce cases, and family law matters.
2: Legal aid
You might be able to apply for legal aid to help you pay for some or even all your legal costs. However, access to it is extremely limited.
Whether you get legal aid depends on the type of law your case involves, as well as your financial situation.
There are many areas of law that do not qualify for legal aid at all, such as business disputes, most money disputes, and conveyancing.
Where legal aid is available, you will typically be subject to a means test before it is granted. The lack of funding in the system means that even a modest income or amount of savings could make you ineligible. However, legal aid might be available if you are in a particularly weak financial position.
You might be able to get legal aid to pay for divorce or childcare proceedings without being subject to a means test if you or your children have suffered domestic abuse. You will still need to provide evidence of the abuse to qualify, which can unfortunately be difficult.
You can check if you qualify for legal aid before you apply.
3: Legal expense insurance
You might be able to use legal expense insurance to fund your legal fees. This is a type of insurance that will cover your legal costs in certain cases. Typically, legal expense insurance will cover legal issues such as:
- Unfair dismissal or workplace discrimination
- Personal injury from an accident that was not your fault
- Disputes involving faulty goods or services
Legal expense insurance often comes with common insurance policies, like house or car insurance. So, it is worth checking any insurance policies you have taken out to see if you are already covered.
You cannot use legal expense insurance to fund legal fees for issues that started before you took out the policy.
4: Apply to reduce court fees
If you are on benefits, or have little to no income or savings, you might be able to apply to get reduced court fees.
As with legal aid, the reduction in court fees is means tested. For example, you need to earn less than £1245 a month, or have savings of less than £3000, to qualify.
You can check if you’re eligible before you apply.
5: Support from your trade union
Most trade unions offer legal support to their members. The type of support varies, but if you are a trade union member, it is worth contacting them to see if they can help.
For issues involving employment law, such as workplace discrimination and employment disputes, trade unions might provide substantial support, such as free representation from a specialist solicitor.
Support for other types of legal issues will vary from union to union, but can include:
- Free consultations with a solicitor
- Reduced hourly rates with a solicitor
Contact your trade union for more information.
6: Get a free legal consultation
Sometimes, you may not be sure whether you want to take legal action. Instead, you may simply want to find out what your rights are and what your legal position is.
If you are in this situation, look for a solicitor who offers a free consultation. Alternatively, find someone who offers a consultation for a fixed fee, so you know in advance what the advice will cost.
Having an initial consultation is a good way of finding out whether it is worth taking further legal action. For example, a solicitor could tell you how likely you are to win a dispute in court. They could also tell you whether any compensation you might win would cover your legal fees. If not, you may decide that there is no benefit in taking the matter further.
7: Borrowing money from family or friends
Borrowing money from family or friends is one way you could pay for legal fees upfront.
The benefit of borrowing money is that you will be able to pay for as much legal support as you think you need. However, borrowing to pay for legal action should be a last resort.
Legal disputes can drag on for months or years, potentially resulting in huge costs. So, you should think carefully about whether the legal action is worth taking before asking family or friends for money.
If you do decide that taking legal action is right for you, make sure you will be able to repay what you borrow. Ask your solicitor for an estimate of costs that considers the worst-case scenario. That way, everyone will know how much money may be needed to see your case through.