In the Opinions on Improving the Legal Aid System issued by the General Office of the Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, the conditions for enjoying legal aid are clearly defined:
1. General conditions: (1) The applicant has sufficient reasons to prove that he needs legal help to safeguard his legitimate rights and interests; (2) The applicant is unable or completely unable to pay the legal service fee due to financial difficulties.
The standard of economic hardship shall be grasped with reference to the standard of economic hardship or the standard of living security line stipulated by the people's government of the place where legal aid is implemented.
2. Special conditions: parties to special cases that meet the legal requirements can obtain legal aid through the designation of the people's court, and there is no need to conduct substantive examination on whether they meet the general conditions. For example, if a defendant who is blind, deaf, dumb, or a minor as stipulated in Article 34 of the Criminal Procedure Law and may be sentenced to death fails to appoint a defender in criminal proceedings, the people's court shall designate legal aid for him.
Scope of legal aid:
If a citizen fails to entrust an agent due to financial difficulties, he may apply to a legal aid institution for legal aid on the following matters that need to be represented:
(1) Request state compensation according to law;
(2) In a case where a public prosecutor appears in court for public prosecution, the defendant fails to entrust a defender due to financial difficulties or other reasons; If the people's court appoints a defense for the defendant, the legal aid institution shall provide legal aid.
(3) If the defendant is blind, deaf, dumb or has not entrusted a defender, or if the defendant may be sentenced to death without entrusting a defender, when the people's court appoints a defender for the defendant, the legal aid institution shall provide legal aid without examining the defendant's financial situation.