More People Eligible for Legal Aid

On 1 March 2007, the Legal Services Amendment Act 2006 and new regulations come into force, meaning an increase in those people eligible for legal aid from 765,000 currently to an estimated 1.2 million. The changes update eligibility thresholds that were last reviewed in 1987.

To ensure that legal aid remains cost effective, a new repayment and debt management scheme will also come into effect. The result is that more of those who are able to will be required to repay some or all of the cost of legal aid.

Other changes to legal aid that take place on 1 March include:
• Eligibility thresholds will be regularly updated to ensure that eligibility levels are maintained in the future.
• Criminal and civil legal aid recipients will be treated in a similar way, meaning that more criminal aid recipients will be required to contribute in part or in full to their legal costs.
• New simplified eligibility criteria will improve the overall transparency and efficiency of the legal aid scheme.

The Legal Services Agency has also started work towards a review of the rates of pay for legal aid providers, which currently range between $95 and $165 per hour.

For more information about Legal Aid see: www.lsa.govt.nz/general/lag/lag_home.htm