Do UK citizens have a right to legal advice?

Question

As a British citizen: If I can't afford to pay a solicitor to get legal advice, am I entitled to free legal advice from the government?

Under what circumstances? The answers differ based on the situation. — cpast, Commented Jul 30, 2015 at 16:17
In certain conditions yes, see gov.uk/legal-aid, but in general I presume not. I'm not sure in which cases this is a "legal right" and in which cases it's simply a service that the government provides. — Nate Eldredge, Commented Jul 30, 2015 at 16:20
Also, it varies by jurisdiction (England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) — cpast, Commented Jul 30, 2015 at 16:25
Yes you are entitled to legal advice. You are also entitled to pay for it. — Dale M, Commented Jul 31, 2015 at 3:41
There is a right to a fair trial, under article six of the European convention on human rights. In some circumstances it might be argued that if you are forced to go through a trial without an opportunity to get advice that you need then this right is infringed. — bdsl, Commented Jul 31, 2015 at 21:14

Community · Accepted Answer · 2020-06-17 08:31:12Z

6

It depends on the circumstances, see here.

You’ll usually need to show that:

your case is eligible for legal aid

the problem is serious

you can’t afford to pay for legal costs

CommunityBot

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answered Jul 31, 2015 at 5:15

Dale M♦

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