Professional advice to steer you in the right direction Most of us need legal help at some point in our lives, whether it’s to sort out a problem with benefits, help write a will, deal with a divorce, custody of a child, or selling a home.

You can get free legal advice from an advice agency on issues like benefits, housing, consumer rights, problems at work and community care.

Advice centres include local Age UKs, Citizens Advice Bureaux, law centres and independent advice agencies. But sometimes an advice agency or free service won’t be able to help you, and you’ll need to get advice from a private solicitor.

Different solicitors specialise in different areas of law, such as criminal, divorce or employment. Find a solicitor who specialises in dealing with your particular problem.

You can search for a solicitor by contacting the Law Society. They won’t recommend a particular solicitor, so if you have several options, call a few to compare the service they offer.

Power of Attorney

Sometimes we may need to take out what it is called a Power of Attorney, whcih means you are giing someone else the ability to make decisions for you for examply if there comes a time when you  when you lack mental capacity to do so yourself. This could be about everyday things like what your want to wear that day or how to get your bills paid, or it could be about moving home or even making your will.

Someone can lack mental capacity because of they have had an accident or have an illness or been involved in a car crash or suffered from a heart attack or have developed dementia.

Some people may be able to decide about some things but not others, or there capability may change from day to day.

While you have mental capacity, you can set up a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) to give someone the authority to make decisions for you.

Property and Financial Affairs LPA covers decisions about your property and money where as the Personal Welfare LPA covers decisions about your health and personal  well being

Getting a divorce

Christina Tait, Editor of Divorce Aid, said: "The actual technicalities of obtaining a legal divorce are not so difficult. The difficulties arise when you are both riding the emotional rollercoaster whilst dealing with the life-changing decisions affecting any children and your present and future finances.

So, whether you have come to this decision alone or together or it has been "made for you, the best advice is to learn as much as you can, seek professional advice, always try to communicate with each other and do your utmost to behave in a dignified manner, especially where there are children involved. There is no substitute for your own solicitor's professional advice. He is the only professional person who can advise you about all the areas of your divorce; your legal position, your children and your finances.

"No matter how much you read or what your friends tell you, there is only one person who can advise you properly. Never rely on the information provided by your spouse; always seek independent legal advice. It is best to choose solicitors who try to reach agreement in a non-confrontational manner.

"If you are so emotionally distraught, now is not the time to suddenly commence legal proceedings with the exception of domestic violence or fear of disposal of assets.

"But contacting a solicitor and getting advice from him does not mean that you start divorce proceedings, you are just informing yourself about your rights and obligations.''

For more information visit www.divorceaid.co.uk

Child custody

In the UK child custody law is about who should  look after and care for the child when parents decide to separate or divorce. Custody these days usually means decideing who the child should live with after the separation.

The best outcome for many parents is what is called joint custody which means the child spends time with both parents equally.

If the parents can not agree about who should have the permanent residency for the child then the courts will decide  what is best for child.

Most marital disputes end up in the family courts where the subjects of how often the non resident parent should be able to see their child and the maintenance costs will be decided.

In disputed cases each parent is looked at closely before a decision on custody is made. The best interests of the child is judged to be paramount in all cases.

Making a Will

There are many reasons to make a will but the main one is usually so that  you can be sure your home, savings and possessions will go to your loved ones. It makes thing simple and avoids disputes between relatives. Also by making a will sometimes your are able to reduce the amount of tax  on your estate.

You can make your own will, or go to a solicitor. It’s usually best to get legal advice.  You need to make sure  you are clear about what you want to happen to your propery, possessions and savings and in what  proportions, you want to divide up what you own.