Legal Aid

Inksters are registered with the Scottish Legal Aid Board ('SLAB').  We do take on Legal Aid work.  However, the number of cases we can take on at any one time can be limited.  Contact us on 03454 500 123 or send us an e-mail to see if we can assist you.

If you are in Shetland and we are unable to assist you then we shall refer you to the Scottish Legal Aid Board’s Civil Legal Assistance Office (CLAO).  They can be contacted on 0845 123 2353.

It is probably worth pointing out a few features of Legal Aid.

  • There are two stages to Legal Aid

The first stage is advice & assistance and covers all meetings, telephone calls, letters, etc up to the point of a court action. If a court action is never required then advice & assistance will be the only stage you’ll need and that will cover the work involved.

The second stage, if a court action is required, is called Civil Legal Aid. A separate, fuller application is needed to obtain Civil Legal Aid cover for that second stage.

  • As you can imagine, with Legal Aid, there are financial eligibility limits

If you are wondering whether you are eligible, you may wish to visit the Scottish Legal Aid Board’s website. For eligibility for advice & assistance, use the Advice and Assistance Calculator

Financial eligibility for the stage of Civil Legal Aid can be checked at  the Civil Legal Aid Calculator

  • Did you know Legal Aid is not always free?

You might be eligible for Legal Aid but have to pay a contribution towards it yourself. If that is a sizeable amount, then installment payments can usually be arranged.

Also, if you win or keep money or property as a result of your solicitor’s work, you may have to pay some or all of the costs of your case – this is called “clawback”. Clawback applies only in cases about money or property. For example, in divorce cases, the court often has to decide how to divide money or property that you and your spouse own jointly, or you might be seeking a lump sum from your spouse.

Therefore, when your solicitor finishes giving you advice and assistance, the bill will be paid, first, from any contributions you pay, then, from any costs your opponent pays, and then, if the first two are not enough, from any money or property you win or keep. If the first three are not enough, then SLAB pays.

Visit SLAB's website for frequently asked questions.