Who can get advice in the Legal Aid?

 

Copenhagen Legal Aid offers free legal advice to all citizens, whether a Danish national or not, provided you meet certain income requirements. Here you can see the conditions for receiving free legal advice.

 

Everybody is welcome to seek legal advice from Copenhagen Legal Aid, no matter your nationality, and no matter whether you live in Copenhagen or indeed in Denmark. The only condition for receiving our services for free is that you and your household meet certain income requirements as set out below. If you earn more than the below income requirements, we will still advise you, but our assistance will be limited to a high level verbal advice, which may help you decide whether to pursue your case or not. 

 

The income limits are laid down by the government and are adjusted annually. The limits depend on whether you live with a partner and or whether you have children. We use these requirements in the Legal Aid, because these limits determine whether you are entitled to receive public assistance with legal costs when bringing a case before a court. In other words, if you earn more than the limits, the Legal Aid would not be able to pursue your case in court.

 

Here you can see what the income requirements are for you. The income limits below apply for 2024:

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Are you single?

In that case the income limit is DKK 371.000. The amount is measured against your personal income before tax.

Does the dispute relate to your relationship with your partner?
In this case, the income limit above applies.

Are you married or living with a partner?
In this case the aggregate income limit for your and your partner is DKK 471.000

Are you supporting one or more children below the age of 18?
Then you can add DKK 64,000 for each child, including stepchildren and foster children, under the age of 18, one who either lives with you/you or is predominantly supported by you/you (either for singles or for people in a relationship)..

 

The income limits are the same as those applicable to receiving public assistance to taking a case before the courts. If for instance you are supporting two children and are single, the income limit for you would be DKK 499.000. You can see your income on your tax return from SKAT from 2022 (not to be confused with the tax form which indicates your anticipated tax for the coming year).

If you earn too much to receive advice in the Legal Aid, you can also seek verbal advice in with your local "Advokatvagt", which is advice offered by lawyers in your local community - often on a weekly basis. You can find such lawyers on the Danish Bar Association's webpage  www.advokatsamfundet.dk.