05 How We Work 06 We work all year round to ensure that justice is achieved for the poor and vulnerable. We believe that anyone accused of a crime or anyone in a legal di culty has a right to seek justice. When you step into our o ce to seek legal aid, we: ~ welcome you warmly ~ give you an application form and assist you to complete the form ~ receive the completed application form ~ assess your application and your case ~ advise you on the actions to take ~ try in most cases to mediate the issues ~ prepare and represent you in court when necessary. How We are Funded We are funded from FIVE main sources: Government of Ghana Contributions from private companies Donations and gifts from the public Fees paid by some applicants Donor support Get in touch The Legal Aid Scheme has o ces in all ten regions of Ghana. We also have district o ces in selected districts across the country. Call your regional o ce to con rm the availability of a district o ce at your location. Region Upper East Location/Address Bolgatanga, at the Ministries, Block M. P. O. Box 345, Bolgatanga. Contact number(s) +233 382 02 32 29 Upper West Wa, at the Ministries, Block D. P. O. Box 51, Wa. +233 392 22 58 6 Northern Tamale, at the High Court Premises P. O. Box 157, Tamale +233 372 02 31 08 Brong Ahafo Sunyani, near Ghana Library Board. P. O. Box 1572, Sunyani. +233 352 02 33 70 Ashanti Kumasi, adjacent to the Court of Appeal Building Complex. P. O. Box FNT 738, Kumasi. +233 322 02 05 83 Eastern Koforidua, in the High Court Building. P. O. Box KF 1966, Koforidua. Ho, behind the Regional Education O ce. P. O. Box 95, Ho. Takoradi, adjacent the E.P. Church o the E a Nkwanta Fijai By Pass. P. O. Box MC 01101, Takoradi Cape Coast, in the Attorney General's Building and a sub-o ce in the High Court Complex. P. O. Box 173, Cape Coast. +233 342 02 42 86 Volta Western We will appreciate your kind support in cash and logistics. Kindly pay into the legal aid account as follows: Account Name: Legal Aid Scheme Project Number: 1018632047088 Bankers: Bank of Ghana Or send an e-mail to [email protected] or call +233 302 669220. Central +233 362 027 601 +233 312 02 14 67 FREE LEGAL SERVICES FOR THE POOR +233 332 13 45 79 Greater Accra Accra, Opposite the Ministries Police Station. +233 302 66 92 20 P. O. Box GP 18342, Accra. email: [email protected] LEGAL AID SCHEME OF GHANA Do you have a legal problem? Lack of money should not be a barrier to seek justice. Talk to us now! 02 Hello Legal Aid Scheme is a state agency with the mandate to help administer justice to the poor and vulnerable in Ghana. At the Legal Aid Scheme, we believe that justice is for everyone. Whether you have been o ended or you are being accused of a crime, we are here to help you. We have a rm faith that you deserve a right to be heard and a right to be given a fair trial. What We Do We work to ensure equality before the law and fair trial. We provide FREE legal services to those who cannot pay and the vulnerable in Ghana. We are a team of highly trained lawyers, paralegals, mediators, arbitrators and volunteers who are prepared to o er you the following services: Advisory Support: We o er legal advice. A team of alternative dispute resolution professionals, mediators and advisors are on hand to listen attentively to your issues and advise you on what to do. Further, we give you the opportunity to discuss and walk you through your case in an attempt to resolve them in an amicable way. We try in most cases to mediate the issues without litigation. Court Processes: We have a team of lawyers who will prepare your case, le and represent you in court with the aim of seeking justice for you. Community Outreach Activities: We partner with several institutions, volunteers, traditional authorities and opinion leaders to educate the public on access to justice in Ghana and to provide information on the legal aid programme in Ghana. 03 The Cases We Work On 04 Who We Serve / Who can bene t We work on both civil and criminal cases as follows: Civil Cases These are cases between two or more individuals or organisations in which compensation may be awarded to the victim. Examples are: Enforcing provisions of the Constitution Family related issues including:  Child paternity issues  Child maintenance  Divorce cases  Inheritance and property sharing disputes Landlord and tenant issues Insurance disputes Debt recovery and many others. Criminal Cases Criminal cases are o ences committed against the state for which the state prescribes sanctions. Examples of criminal cases include: Stealing Assault (rape, de lement, child molestation etc) Robbery Burglary Manslaughter Murder Nuisance (e.g. disturbing public peace) and many others. Advisory services are free for everyone. However, for legal representation, you need to show proof of inability or di culty to pay for the service. There are exemptions for people charged with murder, manslaughter, protection for the provisions of the Constitution or any o ence for which you could su er death or life imprisonment among others. Children under 18 years are exempted from proving their ability to pay. Before we take on your case, we do two things: 1 We ask you questions and conduct further investigations to ensure that you do not have the means to pay for private legal service and thus you do not need to pay for the service at all. 2 We also assess the merits of your case.