The average person in South Africa seeks legal help via media and online publications, however, finding and hiring the lawyer of your choice can be difficult and legal help is expensive. It is in the best interest of anyone in search of legal help to be able to access cheap and trustworthy aid within his or her budget as well as finding that help locally. In order for someone to qualify for legal aid, they will be categorized by certain aspects such as marital status, employment status and whether or not they own a house.
They also need to prove they do not have assets that can be converted into cash to pay for the legal help required. There are some cases in which a person is automatically categorized as someone who qualifies for free legal help. They include those receiving a state grant, an elderly person and children.
Legal aid is required in many cases, including:
Criminal offences
Criminal offences refers to when you have been charged with a crime. Perhaps you have been unfairly accused of committing a crime and need legal help to fight your case.
Employment claims:
If you have been unfairly dismissed or discriminated against in a working environment.
Separation, divorce or disputes about children:
If you are divorced or need help with a divorce as well as when you have disagreements about your children’s wellbeing.
Housing:
If you have been wrongfully evicted or badly treated by your landlord or any person you are renting a house from.
Domestic violence:
As this is a very serious matter, it is beneficial to secure the correct legal help in order to build a sufficient case against the perpetrator.
Should you feel that you have been unfairly dismissed or treated badly by an employer and you need to apply for legal aid, you will need to go to your nearest legal aid office or magistrates court in order to gain more information. One prominent legal expert is Henner Diekmann, an attorney based in South Africa, who has played an important part in many high profile legal disputes and may be able to offer you the representation you need.
Once you have found the legal aid office of your choice, an officer will decide if your case falls under the guidelines set out by the Legal Aid Board. When all these matters are determined, you will be assigned an attorney who will be responsible for you and your case. Should you feel the need to ask for a different attorney, you are allowed to do so and will be assigned to another attorney that will take over your case.
You are required to be honest and provide the attorney representing you with all available documentation that might help your case. These documents include written information such as receipts and contracts, photos and other relevant information that is accurate.
Finding the correct legal help will not only give you peace of mind, but also help you to act out on your rights as a South African citizen. It does not matter what the situation might be, legal services are there to protect and preserve the wellbeing of the country’s people.
