The Legal Aid Scheme originally operated as a service under the general supervision of the office of the Minister for Justice and Attorney General. It is now an independent Commission. Its mandate under the Legal Aid Scheme Act, 1997 (Act 542) is to ensure access to justice for the poor and vulnerable in all matters civil and criminal. The scheme does this through the provision of legal assistance to the poor and indigent in the form of advisory services, ADR interventions and where necessary representation of clients in court. The scheme is present in all the regions of Ghana.

Lawyers working with the Scheme take on matters including but not limited to administration of estates, succession issues, landlord and tenant disputes, labour and employment matters, family law matters such as paternity, custody and marital disputes, compensation issues for tortuous acts such as injuries etc.

Advisory services are free in all cases. Exemptions from payment for other services apply where a person is facing criminal proceedings for murder and manslaughter and also when a person is pursuing an action to preserve or protect the Constitution. Persons seeking support from the Legal Aid Scheme must show proof that they are otherwise not able to pay for the services of a lawyer. Persons under 18 (children) are exempted from any fee payment even if they are not considered indigent.

The Legal Aid Scheme enjoys a special waiver of court fees and therefore eligible persons using the services of the scheme do not have to bear that cost.

Locations and phone numbers of the headquarters and regional offices of the Legal Aid Scheme can be found on their website at http://www.legalaidghana.org/web/