What happens if I cannot afford a lawyer?
The first step is to see if you qualify for legal aid. There are different types of legal aid available for different types of cases, such as criminal legal aid (for persons facing criminal offences) and civil legal aid (for people seeking to start a civil litigation lawsuit). The important thing is to know which agency to approach.
Legal Aid Bureau (LAB)
For legal aid for civil litigation services, you should approach the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB). LAB provides the following services:
Legal Advice: LAB lawyers can give you oral advice on questions relating to Singapore law and suggest practical steps you may take in your case.
Legal Assistance: Drafting of simple legal documents, i.e. wills and deeds of separation.
Legal Aid: LAB lawyers or a lawyer assigned by LAB can represent you in many kinds of civil proceedings, including proceedings before the Court of Appeal, the High Court, District Courts, Magistrates’ Courts, the Family Courts, the Syariah Court and the Syariah Court Appeal Board, and the Commissioner of Labour.
To qualify for legal advice and assistance matters, you must pass the Means Test. To qualify for legal aid, you must pass both the Means and Merits Test. Find more information about LAB here.
Some organisations also offer legal aid to specific groups:
Project Law Help for charities
Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (FAST) for foreign domestic workers
Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics for foreign migrant and domestic workers
Transient Workers Count Too for foreign migrant workers
Low Bono
If you are unable to qualify for legal aid, you can try law firms that offer low bono, i.e. below market rate legal services, such as DMO Law Corporation.
