Financial verification for advice and assistance: general principles

You should always get documentary evidence of financial eligibility as early as possible, preferably at the initial meeting and keep this on file. Your client is responsible for providing the necessary information, which should minimise the work you have to do to determine eligibility.

You cannot, under the terms of the regulations, charge for any time or work involved in obtaining information, assessing financial eligibility, or for writing for any verification. For up-to-date information about eligibility limits use the Keycard.

Where verification of the applicant’s financial position is unavailable you may find it helpful to get your client to sign the attached mandate form, AA/VERF/MAND, allowing enquiries to be made of third parties such as employers, benefits providers and banks. You can use this authority to obtain any necessary documentary evidence your client has not given you. However, do not act until you are satisfied your client is eligible.

Most meetings with your clients in civil and children’s cases are by appointment. We recommend that firms put into place procedures similar to those for money laundering.  When the appointment is made, explain to your client what documentation they should bring to the first meeting. Sometimes you may be satisfied that a client is financially eligible even though they have not brought this documentation to the first meeting, for example, if you have a long-standing professional relationship with your client. If so, you should clearly show this on your files and follow up by producing the documentation at a later date or meeting.

See our guidance on solicitor and applicant signatures.