Services provided by LAAA

The Civil Legal Representation Process

Once in the interview with one of our Legal Officers, it is determined that you may have a matter for which we can possibly provide you with an attorney, you will then be issued with what is called a Form 1.

The Legal Officer will assist you in filling out the Form I. You then take this form to be signed in the presence of a Justice of the Peace or Commissioner of Affidavits. Once signed you will then return on a designated day indicated on the Form to submit it to one of our Legal Aid Investigators together with any relevant documentation.

The Investigator is to determine whether you qualify for Legal Aid. (There is an Income and Capital limit in law). The Investigator will do a preliminary interview and then arrange to visit you at home. The objective is to ensure that you meet the statutory conditions to qualify for assistance.

Once the Investigator has completed your report it is submitted for consideration by the Board of the Legal Aid and Advisory Authority. The Board then determines if you will be approved for Aid in a Civil/Family High Court matter.

Great news once you are approved! Once you receive your approval letter, you return to the office to sign what is known as an Acceptance Form and you get an attorney-at-law a short while after who is now assigned to your matter to its conclusion.
Note that in extenuating circumstances there is an emergency process to get you aid faster but same has to go through several levels of approval where the request is duly scrutinized.

Persons (nationals or non-nationals) charged with criminal offences before a Criminal District Court or the Assizes or Court of Appeal may apply for Legal Aid at any of our offices through the normal in-take process (see Legal Advice ).

The Criminal Legal Representation Process

A Form IX will be completed by the Legal Officer on your behalf and given to you to sign in the presence of a Justice of the Peace or Commissioner of Affidavits. The respective Court may facilitate you signing the Form there.

This Form is then submitted by you (or the Authority) to the respective Court where your matter is to be heard. This should be done preferably well in advance of your Court date if already known.

The respective Judge/Master/Magistrate will decide whether to approve the request for Legal Aid. Once approved the said approval is forwarded to the closest Office of the Authority for assignment of an attorney to do your matter.

If the accused person requiring aid is incarcerated then the accused person is visited at the respective prison by one of our Legal Officers and the Form is signed in the presence of our Legal Officer who is also a Commissioner of Affidavits.

The Authority does regular visits to the State Penal Facilities. The Form is then forwarded by us to the respective Court for possible approval.

Family members or friends of an accused person can visit any of our offices and submit the name of an accused person to be visited or email the information to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Members of the public who know someone who is incarcerated can visit an LAAA office and request a Prison Visit.

What Happens Next?

An LAAA Legal Officer will visit the particular prison to make an application for legal aid for that person.

The Authority provides Duty Counsel representation to the following categories of persons:

• Any minor detained by the police for ANY offence or investigation thereof
• Any person (minor or adult) detained in connection with a Capital Offence (Murder)

The Duty Counsel Process

The Authority has a 24-hour hotline that once any of the persons above is so detained, the respective Police Station is required by law to contact the Authority’s Duty Counsel hotline to have an attorney-at-law (Duty Counsel) dispatched to the respective Police Station to advise the detained minor or adult of their legal rights and to secure their constitutional protections.

Duty Counsel 24-hour line: 652-LAAA (5222)