This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the legal aid system in Italy. The authors will attempt to explain, in a clear and concise manner, the definition and legal nature of legal aid, with brief historical notes. They will then discuss the requirements for admission to legal aid, both in terms of income and merit, as well as the procedure for requesting legal aid. They will also discuss the benefits of legal aid, and the consequences of admission, non-admission, and/or revocation of previously granted admission.

In short, the authors’ goal is to provide a practical and useful approach to the legal aid system, especially for those who want to approach the topic from the beginning in a coordinated and complete manner, without yet going into excessive detail, thus having an overview of the state of the art from a theoretical and practical point of view of first, but complete, approach.

The authors’ work is based on the consideration, often neglected in courtrooms, that legal aid is an important tool for protecting the rights of citizens who do not have the financial means to bear the costs of a trial.

This paper comprehensively illustrates the requirements, procedure, and benefits of legal aid in order to allow those who may be eligible to understand the parameters for accessing this important service and the consequences of doing so.