Legal aid may cover all or part of the payment, advance or consignment of any expenses related to the proceedings, procedures or acts for which it was approved (e.g. lawyer fees, etc.).

Article 9-2 of the French law of 10 July 1991 pertaining to legal aid (with higher standards than the Council Directive 2002/8/EC of 27 January 2003) provides that victims of terrorist acts, including willful attacks against a person’s life or physical integrity, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, or the hijacking of an aircraft, a ship or any other means of transportation, has the right to full legal aid to take civil action to seek damages for prejudice caused by attacks against the person. This assistance is provided regardless of the victim’s resources. The same rights apply to the victim’s beneficiaries.

The form to request legal aid and the explanatory notice are available at the special reception services for potential plaintiffs or the legal aid offices (bureaux d’aide juridictionnel) of the High Courts (tribunaux de grande instance). The form in any official European language may be downloaded online from the European Commission website.

The duly completed form must be returned along with all supporting documentation useful to the legal aid office of the Paris High Court.