Legal Aid

If you cannot afford legal advice or an advocate to represent you in Court, you may be able to get Legal Aid.

• Legal Aid is only available to individuals
• Legal Aid is not available to companies, businesses, clubs or firms
• Legal Aid is only available for cases which are being processed in the Isle of Man and are subject to Manx Law

There is no residency qualification, so Legal Aid on the Isle of Man can be granted to someone who lives in another jurisdiction. 

Whether you qualify or not depends on your financial position, and whether you have good cause to pursue your case. An Advocate can advise you about what sort of help is available.

Civil Legal Aid availability

Civil Legal Aid is available for most proceedings in the Isle of Man High Court including:

• Personal injury
• Medical negligence
• Possession and family matters
• Domestic proceedings (in the Summary Courts)

It is also available for some other proceedings such as:

• Inquests
• Mental Health Review Tribunals
• Advocates Disciplinary Tribunals
• Data Protection Tribunals

ALL applications for civil Legal Aid must be submitted to the Legal Aid Office through an Isle of Man Advocate, so the first thing you must do is approach an Advocate. If you do not have an advocate for a civil matter, please view the approved panel of Advocates.

What to do when Legal Aid is granted

Once you have been granted Legal Aid it is important that you:

• conduct your case in a reasonable manner
• maintain a reasonable level of contact with your Advocate
• notify the Legal Aid Office and your Advocate as soon as possible if your financial situation changes or you change address
• keep evidence about your financial situation e.g. bank statements, pay slips etc.

If you are receiving Legal Aid and your situation changes you must notify the Legal Aid Office immediately. This will help us to re-assess your financial situation as quickly as possible and reduces the likelihood that you will become liable for costs at a later date.

If you think the opponent in your case is receiving Legal Aid but may not have declared all relevant financial information and may be ineligible, you should contact the Legal Aid Office stating why you feel the assisted person should not be receiving Legal Aid, along with any evidence which supports your claim. We will ask your permission to share your complaint with the assisted person and their Advocate in order that they can respond.

Benefit fraud is a criminal offence. If you suspect that someone is claiming Social Security benefits they are not entitled to, you can report them via our Benefit Fraud page.

The Legal Aid Office can't provide legal advice.