Legal Aid in Hong Kong is a government programme that aims to provide access to justice for people who cannot afford to pay for the services of a private lawyer. 

 

1. Operation:

Legal Aid is administered by the Hong Kong Department of Justice and governed by the Legal Aid Department. The programme provides reduced-cost legal assistance to eligible individuals in various areas of law, including criminal law, civil law and family law.

 

When a person applies for legal aid, the Legal Aid Department evaluates their eligibility based on specific criteria. If the application is accepted, legal aid can take different forms, such as legal advice, representation in court, assistance with drafting legal documents, and other services.

 

2. Eligibility for Legal Aid:

 

- Financial ressources: You must demonstrate that your income and assets fall within the specific threshold. Your income, assets and expenses will be taken into account to assess your financial eligibility.

 

- Merits of the case: Your request will be evaluated based on the merits of your case. This means that your case must have a reasonable chance of success or be of sufficient public interest to justify granting legal aid.

 

- Case category: Legal aid is generally available for civil, criminal and family law matters. However, certain types of cases, such as commercial disputes or defamation cases, may be excluded from legal aid.

 

Legal Aid in Hong Kong is not free and may involve costs for recipients. 

 

1. Initial contribution:

When you qualify for legal aid in Hong Kong, you may be required to pay an initial contribution based on your income and financial resources. This contribution is a portion of the total cost of legal services provided by the legal aid program.

 

2. Director's First Charge:

In addition to the initial contribution, there may be a Director's First Charge. The director's first charge is a lump sum set by law and is payable by the legal aid recipient.

 

Romain Pierre Levaire is part of the Panel of Lawyers registered with Legal Aid in Hong Kong. If you are eligible for Legal Aid, you can make a request to have him, or anyone else of your choice, appointed to represent you, either to your solicitor assigned by Legal Aid, or directly to Legal Aid.

 

He also has considerable experience in relation to procedures relating to Legal Aid, but not covered by Legal Aid, such as: assistance and advice relating to a Legal Aid application (on issues of means and/or merit ), and appeals against Legal Aid decisions.