Legal Help for Civil / Family Matters
If you have a legal problem but can’t afford a lawyer, you may be able to get one through civil / family legal aid. If you’re granted legal aid, it will cover all your lawyer’s fees and all other fees and expenses of your court case. You may have to repay some or all of your legal aid. Back to Legal Aid Guide home page
Applying for Civil / Family Legal Aid
How do I apply?
You start by contacting a lawyer who you’d like to represent you. Always check that the lawyer you talk to does legal aid work.
Your lawyer will have a copy of the legal aid application form and will help you fill it in. You can also get a form from the District Court or from a community law centre or Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB).
Some lawyers answer questions about legal aid for free, but you should always check this with the lawyer when you start talking to them.
How do I find a suitable lawyer?
If you don’t know a suitable lawyer already, you can –
- use the find a lawyer tool on this site
- ask friends or family to recommend someone
- ask a Legal Services Agency office
- ask your local community law centre or Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
- go to www.lawyers.org.nz/hmdlsocieties.asp for contact details for District Law Societies
- visit www.familylaw.org.nz to find a family lawyer (this is the website of the Family Law section of the New Zealand Law Society).
- look in the Yellow Pages under “Barristers and Solicitors” and “Lawyers”.
When you go to see the lawyer –
- take any letters or documents to do with your case
- take all the information you’ll need to provide on your legal aid application form (see below).
What information do I need to give on the application form?
You’ll need to give –
- the address and phone number where you can be contacted at home and at work
- your date of birth.
You’ll also need to give details and evidence of your finances –
- your before-tax income (wages, benefits, ACC and so on)
- any savings you have
- the value of any major assets you own, like a house or car
- any money you owe (such as hire-purchase payments)
- how many dependent children you have.
If you have a partner, you must give the same financial information about them, on a different part of the form. This applies to married and civil union couples and to de facto partners (including same-sex partners)
Your lawyer will fill in the parts of the application form that are about your case and why legal aid should be granted for it.
