How is legal help different from legal aid?

[messyoldmess]

My solicitor told me that up until now I have been receiving legal help, which later becomes legal aid.
How are the two things different?
I hadn't heard of legal help before now, only legal aid.

As far as I am aware (having been out of practice for many years) legal help replaced the Green Form. The Green Form was a document you signed when you first consulted your solicitor which enabled the solicitor to conduct a certain amount of work on your behalf before having to apply for legal aid. Normally you could have an initial interview and some basic work done, up to a maximum amount of time, on Green Form. Then you would have to apply for full legal aid to continue acting for that client. I think that legal help is what the old Green Form covered.

You may well find that you are entitled to legal aid, but with a contribution from you as you are working. In fact, legal aid isn't even called legal aid any more, but a lot of solicitors still use the term because that is what the public recognises.

Thanks, Freckle, that makes it all a bit clearer. Just assumed I was just receiving legal aid, so was a bit thrown by this legal help thing!

The bits on the Green form, I am assuming are far less costly than the whole legal aid, which could cost thousands & thosands!

Freckle. just wondering what is legal aid called now?

Tbh, I can't remember! It used to be administered by the Legal Aid Board, which is now called the Legal Services Commission, so I suspect the new name is linked to that. I'm sure someone else will know.

Although I could be wrong and it still is called legal aid and it's just the name of the administering body which has changed.

Thanks for explaining all that, JustUsTwo, that makes it a lot clearer.
It probably explains why my solicitor is so keen for us to try & sort things through mediation, as it cuts right down on court costs.