Reviews and Appeals of a Legal Aid Board Decision

Any decision we take can be reviewed and/or appealed. This allows you to have your application reconsidered in the light of new information, or for the initial decision to be appealed to an appeal committee of the Legal Aid Board.

Review

A review means that you or your solicitor can submit further information to us and ask us to re-consider our decision. You can request a review through your solicitor (or any member of staff in the Law Centre, if you have not been told who your solicitor is). 

You do not need to submit further information for a review. But if you do not it is likely that we will arrive at the same decision. It is in your best interests to submit all the information available when asking for a review. Any review where no new information is received will be conducted by a more senior person than made the original decision.

You must ask for a review within a month of the original decision being taken.

Appeal

You may also appeal against any decision, including any decision taken following a review of the original decision. Your appeal will be considered by an appeal committee consisting of a chairperson and four ordinary members of the board of the Legal Aid Board. 

You can request an appeal through your solicitor (or any member of staff in the Law Centre, if you have not been told who your solicitor is). You can also contact our Head Office directly to request an appeal.

The decision of the appeal committee is final.