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Legal aid for employment disputes: what do you pay?

An employment dispute may require legal help quickly. Looking for a pro deo employment lawyer usually means seeking help through a Dutch legal aid grant, called a toevoeging. Do not assume the help will be entirely free.

Duration: 1:53

Final legal and language review remain open. General information does not replace advice on your case.

Full transcript

Legal aid for employment disputes: what do you pay? General information.

An employment dispute may require legal help quickly. Looking for a pro deo employment lawyer usually means seeking help through a Dutch legal aid grant, called a toevoeging. Do not assume the help will be entirely free.

The Dutch Legal Aid Board assesses both your legal problem and your finances. A low income alone is therefore not enough. Ask a lawyer who accepts legal aid cases how to apply.

With a legal aid grant you usually pay a personal contribution. Court proceedings may involve additional costs. Ask beforehand what is covered and which amounts you may have to pay yourself.

The financial assessment normally uses information from two years earlier. If your income has since fallen, investigate a change of reference year, known as peiljaarverlegging. Conditions and an application deadline apply. Have that deadline recorded immediately.

Money received from the case can later affect your legal aid grant. Discuss not only the initial costs, but also possible reassessment and the effect of a termination payment.

Write down your employment problem and any deadline. Then ask for a funding assessment and clear fee arrangements. The guide to lawyer costs helps you organise the questions for that conversation.

Read the full explanation and sources on Employment Law in the Netherlands. Have someone assess which rules apply to your situation.

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Official sources

  1. rechtsbijstand.nl — https://www.rechtsbijstand.nl/mediation-rechtsbijstand/voorwaarden/
  2. rechtsbijstand.nl — https://www.rechtsbijstand.nl/mediation-rechtsbijstand/hoeveel-betalen/eigen-bijdrage/
  3. rechtsbijstand.nl — https://www.rechtsbijstand.nl/mediation-rechtsbijstand/hoeveel-betalen/peiljaarverlegging/toelichting-verzoek-peiljaarverlegging/
  4. rechtsbijstand.nl — https://www.rechtsbijstand.nl/krijg-mediation-rechtsbijstand/resultaatbeoordeling/wanneer-alsnog-betalen/

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