FAQ

Legal advice (primary legal aid) is provided or organized by municipalities according to the person's declared (or actual) place of residence. Contact details can be found on the municipal websites or at the municipal reception.

A specialist or lawyer providing primary legal aid provides legal information and consultations, prepares documents for state and municipal institutions, helps to resolve a dispute out of court, and prepares a settlement agreement.

The person is given a free one-hour consultation on every issue of concern.

Secondary state-guaranteed legal aid (hereinafter - the Secondary legal aid) - drafting of documents, defence and representation in court, including the process of execution, representation in the event of preliminary extrajudicial consideration of a dispute, where such a procedure has been laid down by laws or by a court decision.  Secondary legal aid shall also cover the litigation costs incurred in civil proceedings, the costs incurred in administrative proceedings, the costs incurred while analysing an administrative misconduct and the costs related to the hearing of a civil action brought in a criminal case.

A primary legal aid specialist or a lawyer helps to complete the necessary documents.

Within 7  business days from the date of the application and receipt of all necessary documents. Once you have received the decision, you must contact the appointed lawyer.

A lawyer can be selected from a list provided by the Service. You can also choose any lawyer that is acceptable to you if he or she agrees in writing to represent you in a particular case. If you do not choose a lawyer yourself, the Office will select it from a list.

The current legal regulation stipulates that the bailiff must exempt the recipients who receive social benefits from the payment of the necessary costs of proceedings or postpone the payment of these costs for at least 30 days, during which these persons must apply to the state-guaranteed legal aid service to receive secondary legal aid together with the payment of the necessary costs. This means that the recipients of social benefits can apply to the bailiff for an exemption from paying proceeding costs. If the bailiff does not exempt the recipients of social benefits from paying the proceedings costs, these persons must submit to the state-guaranteed legal aid service an application to receive the secondary legal aid and a certificate confirming that the person is a recipient of social benefits. It should be noted that the state-guaranteed legal aid service pays only the necessary proceeding costs.

The quality of the activities of lawyers providing secondary legal aid is checked by the Lithuanian Bar Association. If you have a complaint about the lawyer's actions or omissions in defending or representing your interests in the case, unethical conduct of the lawyer, if the lawyer requests financial or other remuneration, please inform the Lithuanian Bar Association at Tilto str. 17, 01101 Vilnius.

Decisions of the Vilnius Branch of State-Guaranteed Legal Aid Service may be appealed to the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court within one month from the date of receipt of the decision.

Decisions of the Kaunas Branch of State-Guaranteed Legal Aid Service may be appealed to the Regional Administrative Court, Chamber of Kaunas within one month from the date of receipt of the decision.

Decisions of the Klaipėda Branch of State-Guaranteed Legal Aid Service may be appealed to the Regional Administrative Court, Chamber of Klaipėda within one month from the date of receipt of the decision.

Decisions of the Šiauliai Branch of State-Guaranteed Legal Aid Service may be appealed to the Regional Administrative Court, Chamber of Šiauliai or Panevėžys within one month from the date of receipt of the decision.