Job losses to increase legal aid for divorce
RISING unemployment could result in more couples seeking State assistance to separate and divorce.
The Legal Aid Board (LAB), which provides legal aid in civil cases for people on low incomes, yesterday predicted that falls in income triggered by unemployment would increase the number of separating couples qualifying for legal aid.
The LAB, which has an annual budget of some €32m to provide legal advice to low income families, is training staff in non-court methods such as mediation and alternative dispute resolution to cope with demand.
Separately, the Free Legal Advice Centre, which provides basic, free legal services to the public, recorded a surge in people seeking information about their employment contracts, in anticipation of job losses.
Noeline Blackwell, director of FLAC, said waiting lists for legal aid could exacerbate problems for those on low incomes. Those facing redundancy were disadvantaged because legal aid did not extend to representation at the Employment Appeals Tribunal, she added.
To qualify for civil legal aid, a person must earn less than €18,000, but allowances allow some people on larger salaries to qualify.
Yesterday the Legal Aid Board revealed that 85pc of its caseload last year related to family law issues, as more than 2,200 emergency family law cases, dealing with issues such as domestic violence and child abduction, were fast-tracked. LAB handled 18,000 cases in 2007. Launching the LAB annual report, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said Government funding for legal aid had increased 11pc in 2007 and a further 11pc this year.
- Dearbhail McDonald Legal Editor
