The different types of advisers
The Law society keeps a list of approved advisers. Advisers must be approved by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) or the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). You should always check that your adviser is approved by one or the other.
To find a solicitor in your area use the 'Finding a solicitor in England and Wales' link on the right. All advisers on the website are approved. Advisers who have passed extra exams will have a tick next to their name. Alternatively, ring the Solicitors Regulation Authority on 0870 606 2555.
Publicly funded
Some solicitors/advisers are paid for the help services they provide by the Legal Services Commission (LSC). This is called 'legal aid' work and it allows them to advise clients with little savings and on a low income for free.
Legal aid solicitors/advisers can sometimes only spend a limited amount of time on your case, say five hours to begin with, and then they have to apply for more time. If this happens in your case, it doesn't mean your solicitor/adviser isn't any good. It is just how the system works they have to work with. If you need help with an asylum appeal, they can only give you 'legal aid' if you have at least a 50% chance of winning the appeal.
When you first go to see a legal aid solicitor/advisor they will ask you for evidence of your income. This could be a letter from the Home Office saying that you get asylum support. Or it could be a letter from the friend or family member that supports you that says how much they give you.
Help with your legal costs
'I haven't got any money so I can't afford to pay a solicitor/adviser'. You may not need money; if you get NASS asylum support you will be eligible for free legal advice about asylum from a solicitor/advisor who provides legal aid.
If you want to know whether you can get legal aid you can check using the 'legal aid calculator' link on the right.
Privately funded
Other solicitors/advisers charge for their services. If you are eligible for legal aid you should go to a publicly funded solicitor/adviser and. Do not pay privately unless you really want to.
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