Find legal aid interpreters

There are over 1600 qualified interpreters in the UK. However, when it comes to legal aid, you may often struggle to find an interpreter who is available to assist you. Why is this happening?

In 2013, when legal aid rates for experts were introduced, the hourly rate for interpretation was reduced and instead of a standard minimum fee, interpreters were only allowed to claim for the duration of an assignment. Higher rates and minimum fees were still allowed in exceptional circumstances, but only if the principle of “value for money” was met.

Because of those changes, solicitors are now required to either search for interpreters who use legal aid rates without any minimum fees or secure value for money by getting at least three competitive quotes every time they use an interpreter.

To help you save time and money, we have created a free online platform where you can find qualified translators and interpreters, compare prices, download full legal aid quotes and book interpreters without paying any agency fees.

You can contact legal aid interpreters directly to secure the best value automatically in less than a minute.

Legal aid interpreters can be divided into three groups according to their rates.

• Group 1: Interpreters who use the rates set by the Legal Aid Agency without any minimum charges.
• Group 2: Interpreters who use the rates set by the Legal Aid Agency with minimum charges (e.g. 3 hours minimum).
• Group 3: Interpreters who use other rates than those set by the Legal Aid Agency.

The Legal Aid Agency accepts, that in some cases, it may be necessary to instruct language experts who charge minimum fees or use other rates than those set out in their Guidance on the Remuneration of Expert Witnesses.

To help you save time, we have built a free online calculator. You can use it to calculate multiple price estimates and display them according to their overall price or generate full legal aid quotes to prove scarcity of resources and value for money when applying for prior authority.

Now, you can easily choose your linguists and contact them directly to secure the best value for money.