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Both the use of Family Law mediation and the use of a solicitor
are routes to being granted Legal Aid. There are, however, several
advantages to entering the gateway by being assessed for Legal
Aid by a mediation service that is licensed to grant Legal Aid
(See Legal
Aid - advantages of attending mediation).
Family First has been given a franchise to grant Legal Aid; its
mediators are licensed to perform that task and to conduct mediation
for those who are eligible for Legal Aid.
If you are in receipt of the following, you are immediately eligible
for Legal Aid for mediation:
· Income
Support
· Jobseekers
Allowance
· State
pension credit
It is also usually the case that you are eligible to be
assessed if your capital assets are all family assets (as opposed to personal
assets) which are, in part, the subject of dispute, and your income and
other receipts of benefits and maintenance are under £2,657 per month
less the small number of allowable deductions below. If your monthly
income less the deductions listed below come to a figure of £733 or
less, you are eligible for Legal Aid.
In general your allowable deductions are as follows:
· Monthly
mortgage or monthly rent.
· £250.16 per
month per child for which you are in receipt of Child Benefit.
· Tax and
National Insurance.
· £45 per
month if you are working.
· Any monthly
payment you are making for maintenance.
· Any
childcare costs you are making. Also you may disregard the following
since they do not count towards income in this case:-
· Attendance
Allowance
· Back to work
bonus
· Care in the
community payment
· Carers
Allowance and/or Constant Attendance Allowance
· Council tax
benefit
· Disability
Living Allowance and/or Severe Disability Allowance
· Earnings top
up
· Fostering
Allowance (to the extent that it exceeds dependant’s
Allowance)
· Housing
Benefit
· Independent
Living Fund Payment
· Social Fund
Payments
· Lump sum
payment under Widow war Pension and/or War Widow Pension
As stated this is a
general guide. To be sure, you should come to see a mediator.
Family First Mediation can assess your circumstances and can, where
appropriate, grant Legal Aid.
Family First Mediation Service is one of the few specialist
mediation services in London.
The service is licensed to conduct both private and Legal Aid family
(plus commercial and civil) mediations (PLEASE CLICK HERE
to go to Legal Aid-advantages of attending mediation).
We gained our Legal Services Commission franchise in 2001. The
distinction that sets us apart is that our principal mediator works
full-time in mediation, having handled in excess of 1000 mediation
clients. We do not, as part of our main practice, conduct litigation.
Family First mediators have the ability, experience and breadth of
background to enable clients to feel they are in accessible and safe
hands, whether their matters are to do with property and finances,
child only issues or both.
Our principal and administrator, Graham Lyons (Tel: 07773 701062.
Email: graham@familyfirstmediation.co.uk),
was initially in business before becoming a practising barrister from
1972-2007. Graham dealt in mediation cases with high values, mental
health problems and high emotion issues involving parents, new partners
and children.
He is a married family man, has a certificate in counselling, a
diploma in Child Protection and is approved to see children. Graham is
licensed to grant Legal Aid and handle all family issues that arise in
mediation.
Graham has trained a number of family, commercial and civil
mediators
.
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