Separation and Divorce Solicitors in Dunchurch







Divorce and Separation in Dunchurch
Collaborative Law in Dunchurch:
Arbitration in Dunchurch:
Legal Aid Eligibility in Dunchurch
What is Legal Aid?
Legal Aid is state funding of the costs of an individual’s legal case. Since the introduction of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO 2012) in 2013, the scope of legal aid entitlement for family law matters has significantly reduced.
Types of legal aid for family matters
There are two types of family legal aid available- Legal Help (enabling a solicitor to provide initial advice and assistance with your case) and Legal Representation (enabling a solicitor to represent you in court proceedings.
Generally, there are three considerations for legal aid entitlement:
- Scope – your case must be eligible for legal aid
- Means – an assessment of financial circumstances to check you cannot afford to pay legal costs. Some cases of child protection do not need a means assessment.
- Merits – your problem must be serious, you must have a reasonable likelihood of success, and a reasonable person would use their own funds to pay for the case.
Whether your children case is eligible for legal aid depends on the type of case it is or whether you can prove you or your children have experienced abuse.
Types of family law
“Public Law” cases are automatically eligible for legal aid. This is where a Local Authority has concerns about safeguarding a child and has started an investigation or made an application to court. For example:
- application for a care order
- application for a supervision order
- application for a secure accommodation order
- application for a placement order
- application to discharge a care order
- social workers ask you to come to a meeting about your child
Often in public law cases legal aid is available to parents (or carers with parental responsibility) whatever their financial situation. For example, if the Local Authority has applied for a care order for your child, you are automatically entitled to Legal Aid. Public funding has been extended to opposing adoption orders in public family law proceedings involving the Local Authority.
Special Guardianship Orders – cases also now fall within scope for family private law proceedings however remain means tested.
“Private Law” cases are disputes between parents or family members about a child, often following a separation. For example:
- Disputes about who a child should live with
- Disputes about who a child should spend time with.
With the exception of cases of child abduction, legal aid in private law matters is only available to people who can prove they have experienced domestic abuse or their children have been harmed. LASPO 2012 sets out strict evidential requirements, known as “gateway” evidence, which must be provided in order to satisfy the test for legal aid, and the Legal Aid Agency who administers legal aid, has no discretion to accept alternative evidence or to waive the requirement for evidence.
Gateway evidence
Acceptable gateway evidence includes:
Domestic Abuse
- An arrest or police caution for a domestic violence offence
- A conviction for a domestic violence offence
- A letter or report from an appropriate health professional or referral to a domestic violence support service
- A letter from an organisation providing domestic abuse support services
- Leave to remain in the UK as a victim of domestic violence
- A protective injunction or undertaking
- Findings made in a family court.
Child Protection
- An arrest or police caution for a child abuse offence
- A letter from social services confirming a risk or victim of child abuse
- A letter from social services confirming a child protection plan
- A copy of a child protection plan
- A protection injunction.
In addition to gateway evidence, legal aid for private law matters is both means and merits tested. You must be financially eligible to receive legal aid, from both an income and capital (i.e. your assets) basis and the overall likelihood of success in your case should be sufficient to justify the use of public funds to assist you in your case.
Legal Aid for Family Mediation
Legal Aid is available for mediation in children cases; it is means tested.
Legal aid is also available for cases involving applications for protective orders in domestic abuse cases, and for cases involving forced marriage or female genital mutilation.
Contact us
Should you wish to discuss a family law matter, please contact our Family Law Team on 02476227741. A member of our team can discuss your circumstances with you in more detail and consider your eligibility for legal aid.
For further helpful information about Legal Aid please visit the Government website https://www.gov.uk/legal-aid
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Latest Customer Testimonials
Very satisfied with the service it is refreshing in this day and age to come across a company that is efficient and cares about their clients.
“I’d like to thank Sarah and Chloe of the Kundert team for their legal help and support throughout the immensely sensitive situation I was involved with. Also I’d like to thank the barrister appointed by Kundert Solicitors for his representation in court. From the very first meeting Sarah reassured me the matter was in the best possible hands, and she didn’t disappoint throughout the process, her professionalism handling the case has been second to none, while retaining a friendly approach. The best possible outcome was made thanks to the hard work of the entire team and I simply can’t thank you enough for that.”
We had two property sales and our own house purchase completed by Perminder at Kunderts recently. She went to a lot of trouble to make our sales/purchase as easy as possible.
Any issues found during the conveyancing were dealt with quickly and efficiently.
Was a pleasure to deal with Kunderts, as it has been over the years. So we will be back if we need legal support again in the future.
I used Kundert for the conveyancing for the purchase of my first property and was provided with an excellent service from Perminder and Bev, I’m very grateful! Very professional all throughout. They were very proactive with chasing my bank for updates and always on the ball. I was pleasantly surprised because at the beginning of the process, I had heard from a couple of people that I would likely be experiencing delays with Kundert so initially I was hesitant to use them. However I did not find this to be the case at all and cannot identify any date where was a delay on their part. Perminder and Bev were always available and ready to help via email and over the phone. I really appreciate their help and fully recommend their services to anybody requiring a fantastic conveyancing service!
I cannot begin to thank my legal representative, Louise, enough for everything she has done for me throughout my family court case. From the very beginning, she showed unwavering dedication, thoroughness, and a genuine passion for helping me through an incredibly difficult time.
Louise gave so much of her time, always ensuring every detail was handled with care and precision. What stood out the most was how she never treated my case as just another job—she truly cared, and that meant the world to me. Her professionalism, compassion, and commitment went above and beyond anything I expected.
This wasn’t just legal support—it felt like someone was truly in my corner, fighting with me every step of the way. I honestly couldn’t recommend Louise enough.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I’ve been supported by Kundert solicitors for around 7 months and I was very much supported in every step of the way! My paralegal Chloe went above and beyond and I could not thank her enough. Very professional, polite, easy to talk to, honest and HARD WORKING. I would highly recommend this company to support you through your journey! Easy to reach and happy to explain and they will fight your corner until the end and be by your side every step of the way. Hardest journey I’ve been on and having Kundert solicitors by my side and how they treated me with respect dignity and communication I could not of done it without them. If I wasn’t happy with anything or did not understand they were greatly on the ball to respond and resolve and explain when needed. 5 * 100%
Excellent, thankyou very much for all your help. I’ll obviously leave a top review on the survey. You put both mine and my mums mind at ease from the onset.
We have had the benefit and pleasure of working with Kundert Solicitors and specifically Andrea Ward (Partner & Head of Conveyancing), for over eight years. During this time, Andrea has assisted us with several matters, including the buying and selling of our first home, which had an unusual and challenging title, and the purchase of our new home.
Andrea’s approach is exemplary. She is pragmatic, level-headed, and straightforward in her dealings.
What sets her apart is her ability to explain complex matters in simple, clear English, making intricate aspects of conveyancing easy to grasp.
Buying and selling property can be a stressful experience, but Kundert’s makes it manageable.
Their professionalism, combined with the friendly, approachable, and proactive service provided by the team ensure every detail is handled effectively.
We also found their services to be exceptional value for money given their willingness to go the extra mile.
If you’re looking for solicitors who will get the job done efficiently, effectively, and with a personal touch, we strongly recommend Andrea Ward and her team at Kundert Solicitors.
Thank you for your kind attention to my case, and for being approachable at all times. I am pleased with the result. Your staff have also been very helpful, particularly Lyn.
Delighted to have completed in less than 7 weeks! Thank you to all who worked to achieve this. Well done!