6. What should I do if I want to obtain Legal Aid?

6. What should I do if I want to obtain Legal Aid?

You should go to the Legal Aid Department's Headquarters at 24/F, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong (near Admiralty MTR Station) or to its Kowloon Branch Office at G/F, Mongkok Government offices, 30 Luen Wan Street, Kowloon (adjacent to Mongkok KCR's station) to make the application. For enquiries, you may telephone 2537 7677 (24-hour Interactive Voice Processing System), or 2537 7661 (Headquarters) or 2380 0117 (Kownloon Branch Office) or email ladinfo@lad.gov.hk.

You will be given an appointment for an interview and a checklist of all the documents that you need to bring along with you to the interview.

If the case is urgent, you should tell the staff of the Legal Aid Department that it is urgent when you apply for Legal Aid.

On the day of your interview, you should bring along all documents relating to your case and to your financial situation (for example, your bank passbooks and monthly statements, salary slips, rent receipts, mortgage repayment schedule, tax assessment, documentary proof of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance etc).

During the interview, you will be asked about your assets and income. You will also be asked to give a statement concerning your case so that the Department can determine its merits. In most cases both the statement taking and the financial means assessment can be done on the same day.

In some cases, it may be necessary to obtain additional information from third parties, such as other government departments or public bodies, for the purpose of determining the merits of your case. Once all the information has been collected, the Legal Aid Department lawyer in charge of your case will decide whether Legal Aid should be granted.